The Baby Project
by T.MARIA2007
Summary: Set in seventh year.The teachers bring forth a different kind of lesson...let's see how the student's fare when faced with the biggest test of all...
1. Chapter 1

**

* * *

Chapter One**

_'He got the action,  
he got the motion.  
Oh yeah,  
the boy can play.  
Dedication.  
Devotion.  
Singing all the night time into the day' _

"QUIET!!!"

"I don't see the point" Pansy said in a low voice, looking around the  
classroom and sticking her nose up into the air begrudgingly.

"You will when you're a single mother with bills to pay and mouths to feed"  
McGonagall told her sternly, overhearing her talking to Milicent Bullstrode.

Pansy sniggered.  
Obviously her comment had hit a little i too /i closer to home than she  
had expected.

On the other side of the room sat Harry.  
He looked at the board in bewilderment.

"How come McGonagall is taking TWO lessons this year?"

"Because she's greedy" Ron answered him, also looking at the board.

"I think it's a brilliant idea!" Hermione told them excitedly.

Trust her to get excited about something as ridiculous as this!

"Okay, class" McGonagall announced, finally making her way to the front of the  
room and standing to the right hand side of the blackboard.

"I don't get it" Malfoy announced from the back of the class. "Why are we  
here to talk about babies?...or is it just Weasle and Potter that don't know  
where they come from?"

The Slytherins giggled.

Both Hermione and Harry turned around to glare at him.

He sat there with the arrogance of a Prince.  
His legs upon the desk, whilst his hands came to rest at the back of his  
head.

Yes, that arrogance was definitely something to glower at.

"That's quite enough, Mr Malfoy" McGonagall told him. "Ten points from  
Slytherin"

The Slytherins moaned this time, looking over at him with annoyance.

"What?" He asked them, putting his hands up in the air innocently. "You were  
all thinkin' it!"

McGonagall ignored the blonde haired boy and continued.  
"As you very well know, Professor Dumbledore and myself have been in  
discussion for some time now as to whether or not we should go ahead with a  
'Life Lessons' Class."

The students groaned.

This was just another attempt to make them watch mating documentaries and  
show pictures of the male penis...

Nothing that Longbottom hadn't seen before.

McGonagall continued over the protests from students.  
"As with any class, I expect you to pay every bit of attention in lesson,  
and homework will be issued once a week"

Hermione's eyes lit up at the thought of homework.

"However," McGonagall said, with a hint of a smirk upon her lips. "this will  
not just be any kind of life class"

The students looked at her strangely.  
Oh, they were going to hate her for this.

"This class will require the practical" She told them casually. "You and  
your partner will have to assist each other whenever possible."

Draco rolled his eyes.  
Another class where he needed to partner up with someone that he didn't  
like.

Hermione's hand shot up into the air, almost as if she had been bursting to  
ask questions for all those two minutes that McGonagall had been talking.

"Professor?" She asked eagerly.

"Yes?" The teacher asked, sounding slightly irritated by the interruption.

"If you don't mind...What do we have to assist with?" She asked, almost  
holding her breath in anticipation for the answer.

McGonagall shook her head. If the girl would let her finish a sentence  
instead of asking inevitable questions, then maybe she could continue.

"This is not a lesson where you will sit and copy notes off a board that  
explain the ins and outs of sex-"

"Too bad, Longbottom...you'll have to ask your gran!" Malfoy shouted across  
the classroom.

Most people sniggered.  
Neville just blushed.

"Instead, you will experience it first hand"

"What?" asked Malfoy this time. He brought his legs off from the table,  
stamping them onto the ground.  
To say he was shocked was an understatement. "We're gonna have sex in a  
classroom? ...been there, done that..."

Parvati blushed bright red when Malfoy quirked his eyebrows up at her.

Yes, it seemed that the Slytherin Prince had now tired of his own house  
whores...

"No" McGonagall told him sternly, close to lose her patience. Sometimes he  
was just as bad as Miss Granger! "The practical will focus on the after  
effects of consummation"

_"Consummation?"_ Ron said in a posh voice. "She makes it sound like a  
chore!"

"You and your partner will go through the stages of pregnancy together"

The whole class looked at her with their mouths wide open.

_'That got them, the hormone driven menaces!'_ McGonagall smiled to  
herself.

THAT hand was up in the air again.

"Professor" She asked, in shock. "Is that the whole nine months?"

McGonagall was glad she asked. "No, as the school year will not allow us to  
go through the whole nine months, you will have two months of  
pregnancy...and then your own child to look after for the remainder of the  
year"

The class looked at her in awe.

The girls started panicking.

"I'm gonna get stretch marks!"

"I'm gonna get fat!"

"I haven't got a vagina!" Yelled Seamus suddenly.

All the boys looked at him.  
He couldn't be serious, could he?

McGonagall continued. "Girls, you will go through actual labour." When the  
girls started panicking again she interrupted. "But this is not a 'real'  
baby that you are dealing with...it is a simulated baby that will have the  
magically transformed genes of both the mother and the father." Upon seeing  
some the girls relax a little, she added. "But the baby will look as real as  
you or me, so you may want to be careful"

"Will it go through the natural growing up process?" Hermione asked again,  
this time not putting her hand up in the air.

This intrigued her to no end.  
If this didn't put her off ever having sex, then nothing would.

"Your child will age every couple of months" McGonagall told them all. "It  
is September now, so it will be November when your Children are born. In  
January they will reach Two months of age...and from there they will grow  
from Six months to four years of age by the time July comes around"

There was suddenly a buzz of excitement around the room.

"However" The teacher stated, looking rather sternly. "This is a life  
'test', and therefore your results will be assessed in July, depending on  
how well your child has turned out from your tutoring and Love. And  
hopefully some of you more hormonal-

She looked directly at Malfoy.

"-teenagers will learn a thing or two about what can happen when mistakes  
are made"

"Is there any theory?" Parvati asked tentatively.

"Only a small diary that you must make on your progress" McGonagall  
answered, telling the rest of the class. "I want you to jot down your  
feeding times, and sleep patterns"

"And what do we do when we're in the classroom?" Harry asked, getting a  
glare from Hermione for asking the question before she could.

"You bring your children with your and I will go through the proper care  
procedures, and how to get the best results for your 'assessment'" She told  
him blandly.

She looked around at them all.  
They really had no idea at all.

She had already devised the list.  
She knew who would be paired up with whom.  
She had decided that since half of them were sexually active, that she would  
partner those with people who were probably not doing any bed-hopping.

It put her mind at ease, knowing that with the groups she had chosen, no  
night time frolics could possibly come from the pairings.

"How do we get impregnated?" Pansy asked, a grin on her face as she looked  
over at Malfoy.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.  
He would not be going there again...  
Not after what he had heard from Goyle...genital warts, indeed!

"I need you all to stick the cotton bud Q-tips in front of you into your  
mouths for a DNA sample-

She looked over at Neville, shaking her head.

"-And do not follow Mr. Longbottoms example...its does not go in your ear  
to clear out any Waxy problems you may have!  
I will not have **anyone **having actual intercourse during this  
experiment, as doing so can be disastrous for the project! The girls will  
be 'inseminated' with the conjoining DNA that will make the Child."

The class did as they were told, grumbling as they did so.  
Who in their right mind would not want to have sex for the rest of the  
year?!

When they put their swabs back down, The teacher collected it, and then  
paired the swabs from one female, and one male.  
She put one swab of each into a plastic container, before heading back to  
her desk.

"Tomorrow" She told them. "When you come back in here, I need each girl to  
come to the front and be injected with the conjoining DNA samples. This will  
be your Child"

The bell rang in the background, but the buzz of excitement in the classroom  
meant that no one was making the effort to move.

So they were going to have children...for a whole 10 months they were going  
to be mothers and fathers, looking after their off springs.

It was different.

Nothing like this had been attempted before.  
And if anything went wrong...the only ones to blame would be the teenagers  
themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

**

* * *

Chapter Two**

_'And I'll sail her through the west coast,  
through villages and towns.  
I'll be on my holidays,  
they'll be doing the rounds.  
And they'll ask me how I got her,  
I'll tell them "I saved my money".  
They'll say; "Isn't she pretty?"  
That ship called Dignity'_

Hermione practically ran into her dorm room.  
For some reason this lesson had really excited her.

Maybe it was the fact that she was now able to take on some full  
responsibility, and challenge herself physically, as well as, mentally.

Or maybe it was because the thought of being the mother of Ron's baby was  
appealing to her.  
She knew he was her friend, but being seventeen and not even hearing him  
tell her that he liked her, had made her grow quite impatient.

She almost decided to tell him herself.

_Almost _

But she bottled it when she went to seek him out.  
But now they would get their chance...see if they could really stand the  
heat.

"Oi!" She heard a voice come from below.

She rolled her eyes.

Malfoy.

Being head girl meant many things..

The first: Responsibility

The Second: Standards to uphold.

The Third: Malfoy.

She could remember the day well.  
Standing proudly in front of the hall of students when her name was called.  
That was the day she was meant to shine...but it became thwarted once  
Malfoy's name came up as head Boy.

She half expected it, if she was honest.  
Harry was good...but Malfoy was better.

He was almost as good as her in his lessons.  
Sometimes she found it hard to decipher exactly how Malfoy had brains when  
he certainly did not show it 99 percent of the time.

Now, only a few weeks into their new leadership, they found themselves in a  
compromising position:

Sharing a common room.

It wasn't **too** bad.  
The common room was situated at the base, and then from there, they had their  
own separate doors, which led them to their separate dorm rooms...and also,  
had a set of stone steps each which lead to their house common rooms, just  
in case they needed to go there.

They hardly saw each other, if she was completely honest.  
There was no bathroom sharing, and neither of them really used the common  
room much, considering they had friends that they could easily reach if they  
climbed the stone steps into their house common rooms.

"What?" She shouted down, slowly descending the steps.  
She hated having to go all the way back down when she had just gone up them.

When she reached the shared common room, she saw him lounging on the black  
satin couch, with the fire blazing in front of him.

He smirked to himself.  
"Nothing, just seeing if you were there or not"

Hermione made an action behind his head.  
She strangled thin air, pretending it was his neck instead.

That was the SIXTH time he had done that this week!

Angrily, she marched away and retreated back up the stairs.  
He heard her slam her room door behind her.

Malfoy closed his eyes and relaxed.  
Pansy couldn't bother him here. He wanted to go and see his friends, but  
with her being down in the Slytherin common rooms, waiting to pounce on him,  
it just seemed like a waste of his time.

After their 'Life lesson' class this morning, Pansy had come straight up to  
him and told him that she hoped they were partnered.  
He hoped to god that they weren't.

He might as well be a single parent if that was the way things were going to  
go.

He got up suddenly, and made his way to his own dorm room.  
Maybe he would get lucky and be put with that Hannah Abbott from  
Hufflepuff...she was pretty enough to share his gene pool...

_'At least its not Granger...'_ He thought absentmindedly, opening the  
door and stepping through to his room.

Now that would be disappointing.

**- - - T.MARIA** - - -

"Millicent"

She stepped forward, going rather pale.

Hermione watched in anticipation.  
She was only tenth in the que, and she was already starting to feel nervous.

She kept stealing glances at Ron.  
He seemed completely oblivious, as he sat there reading an article on the  
'Chudley Cannons' in Witch Weekly.

He didn't even realize.  
Boys were so stupid!

"Luna"

Oooh!  
She was getting closer to the front now.

Stealing herself for the injection, she closed her eyes slightly.  
There, she could see a faint outline of a small child with Ginger, curly  
hair.  
She smiled pleasantly.

"Hermione"

She took a deep breath.

She stepped forward, to the desk at the front of the classroom.  
Madame Pomfrey waited there for her, to inject her with a child.

_ 'That sounds incredibly weird'_ she thought to herself.

She saw the point of the needle, and felt quite feint.  
Closing her eyes, she felt the medi-witch take her arm.

She felt the point of the needle brake her skin...

_ ' I hate needles...I hate needles...I hate needles..._ '

Suddenly, the needle was removed and the medi-witch's hand was taken from  
Hermione's lower arm.

"Next"

Hermione walked away, quite dazed.

Confused was the word for it.

Was that it?  
Was that what it felt like?  
To have a child be put inside of you?  
To create life?

It was nothing like she had expected.

She sat down next to Harry and Ron, still looking quite dazed.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked her, smiling.

"I'm alright...I've been better" She shook her head to clear the daze.

"Can you feel anything?" Ron asked her, poking her in the stomach.

"Ah!" She said, laughing. "That tickles!"

Malfoy watched them as he sat in his usual place at the back of the  
classroom.  
Laughing?  
What was there to laugh about?

The next ten months were going to be a nightmare!

When all the girls had been 'inseminated', and taken their seats, McGonagall  
looked around at her students.

Madame Pomfrey left the classroom quietly.

"Ok" McGonagall announced. _'This should be entertaining...'_

"The thing you have all been waiting for..." She smiled to herself.  
"...Your significant other halves."

Hermione stole a glance at Ron.  
She frowned.  
He wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention.

"I will read off the paired partners. When I read out your names, I would  
like you to switch seats to sit with them. You will be sat in this pattern  
for the next ten months"

Hermione's heart began to race a little bit faster...

"Neville Longbottom...Pansy Parkinson"

The room erupted with laughter.

Draco laughed mercilessly.  
Well, at least he didn't have her.

The couple begrudgingly moved and sat with each other, Pansy pulling her chair  
as far away from Neville as possible.

"Hannah Abbott...Gregory Goyle"

Hermione smiled to herself.

"Harry Potter...Millicent Bullstrode"

Hermione saw the blood drain from his face.

"Sorry, mate" Ron said apologetically.

Harry slowly made his way out of his chair and moved towards the broadly  
shaped girl that was Millicent.

"She'll eat him alive" Ron whispered to Hermione.

A small chill went rushing down her spine as his breath on her ear made her  
shiver involuntarily.

"Seamus Finnigan...Luna Lovegood"

...The list kept going, and yet neither her name or Ron's name was getting  
mentioned...this could only be good news...

"Delilah Montague...Vincent Crabbe"

Hermione smiled.

"Parvati Patil...Ronald Weasley"

The smile faded.

Ron shrugged at her.

"See you later"

He got up from his seat casually and walked over to Parvati, who was smiling  
at him shyly.  
Hermione felt slightly hurt.  
Ron wasn't supposed to act as if he didn't care...he was supposed to feel  
bad about the fact that he wasn't paired with her...

Draco frowned.  
That was his last bet!

"Dean Thomas..."

Hermione held her breath...

"...Claire Bode"

Hermione began to panic.  
Her name had not been called out.

She looked around anxiously at the couples around her, sitting and talking  
intently with each other.  
There weren't many boys left for her to choose a descent one.

_ 'Oh no'_ She thought. Dread seeping into her veins as she looked to  
the back of the classroom. _'Oh dear god no...no, no, no no no no no  
no- _

"Hermione Granger...Draco Malfoy"

The classroom held its breath.


	3. Chapter 3

**

* * *

Chapter Three**

_ 'When your secret heart,  
cannot speak so easily.  
Come here Darlin',  
from a whispered star.  
And Have a little faith in me'_

Hermione bowed her head.  
She couldn't look at anyone in the room.

_ 'Just let the floor swallow me up...'_ She kept thinking to herself.

She knew that her face had turned a magnificent colour of crimson.  
She knew that everyone was staring at her.  
She knew that HE was glaring at her back.

"Excuse me, Professor" She heard him say from behind her. She could tell by  
the tone in his voice that he too was quite bewildered by the new turn of  
events. " _Do mine ears deceive me_ ...or did you just tell me that my  
sprog is in Granger's oven?"

Hermione quickly turned around and glared at him.

He glared back.

A glaring contest was soon on the agenda.

"Your partners are paired to you academically" McGonagall stated casually.  
"The DNA does not necessarily matter too much...as you know, your mother's  
and fathers were probably not matched genetically when you yourselves were  
born-

"My mother and father were matched down to the day of conception" Malfoy  
scoffed. "And there is no way that THAT filthy little Mudblood is going  
to carry my kid...the travesty of it all!"

McGonagall looked sternly at him.  
It was quite obvious that his parents had told him a complete pack of lies.

"That will be twenty points from Slytherin and detention for a week" She  
stated. "What happened to keeping to 'house unity' this year?" She looked  
around at them all. "This project cannot be reversed, so I suggest that if  
you have any problems with your other halves, then you sort it out amongst  
yourselves"

Malfoy sneered.  
Collecting his books and robe, he got up from his seat and walked towards  
the door of the classroom.

Everyone stared at him.  
He knew the consequences for leaving a class without being told to.

"Where are you going?" The teacher asked him, looking very irritated.

"Anywhere but here"

And to everyone's surprise, McGonagall let him go.

She expected as much.  
She knew the decision to pair Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy would not be  
accepted without a fight.

But what could she do when their academic skills were so closely matched?

Clearing her thoughts, McGonagall turned back to her class.  
"Girls, you will start to feel small changes to your bodies within the next few weeks." At  
the slightly worried faces looking at her, she continued. "Nothing too  
strenuous...soreness of the breasts...the need to take toilet breaks more  
often...maybe a little vomiting in the mornings..."

A few of the girls faces turned a little pale.

"Come back here tomorrow first thing. We will have a theory class on what  
you should expect during the next two months of your implanted  
pregnancy...after that, this 'Life lessons' class will be moved to a weekly  
schedule."

The bell rang and all of the students in the room got up and made their way  
to their next class.

Well... _almost _all of them.

Hermione sat there, looking utterly perplexed.  
THIS was not supposed to happen.

"I am not doing this to punish you, Miss. Granger" McGonagall told the girl  
as she made her way towards her, standing directly in front of her desk.

Hermione nodded her head.

She knew she was academically matched to Malfoy...she should have known  
better than to think that her and Ron would even be i sitting /i near  
each other...never mind sharing the duties of parent-hood together...

"I just don't understand why it had to be _him_... " She said angrily.

The teacher nodded in understanding.

"It's called _'Irony_', Miss Granger" McGonagall told her honestly.

McGonagall had no real say in the pair up of each of her students.  
She went by rules that were dictated to her by Professor  
Dumbledore...apparently if each student were matched up to someone who was  
the equivalent of them, then both students had a better success of passing  
their exam at the end of the year.

She knew that the two pupils in question did not get on.  
But this was what the exercise was all about.

She almost felt guilty.  
There were obviously some problems that this pair had to overcome...but if  
they stood any chance of passing their examination at the end of the year,  
then they had to work together.

Hermione slowly got off her seat and packed her things away.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Malfoy stomped around the Potions room.

Livid wasn't a word for how he was feeling.

How DARE McGonagall even think that he could be paired with GRANGER of all  
people!!!  
She wasn't even a person, she was just a walking, talking irritation that he  
had to put up with from day to day.

Snape had no sympathy.  
"It if it academically matched, then there is no way around it, Mr. Malfoy"

Draco glared at him.  
"If anyone even _thinks _that I will be helping Granger in any way,  
shape or form, then they are gravely mistaken!"

Snape rolled his eyes.  
He knew this would happen.  
He had warned Professor McGonagall yesterday, when she had showed him 'the  
list'.

True, she too was looking at it rather tentatively...but what could either of  
them do when the academic scores were so closely matched together?

Although all of the teachers were seeking house unity, Snape knew that it  
was a_ 'no-go'_ area...too much history had happened between the houses  
already...it was almost not fixable.

"Do you want to fail?" Snape asked simply.

Draco snorted. "I would rather work with Weasley, than work with Granger!"

"Then fail" Snape told him simply, starting to sound uninterested in  
Malfoy's rant.

Draco looked over at him.  
Draco? Fail?

That word had never entered his vocabulary before.

"How will this effect my NEWTs?" He asked curiously.

Snape smirked. "It counts as a separte mark to your NEWT marks, and it will  
most definitely go onto your personal CV for the rest of your working  
life...apparently 'Life Skills' is all the rage, these days."

"My CV?!" Draco exclaimed, looking distraught.

"It is a life lesson, Mr. Malfoy. If you want to get on in life, you need to  
know what it is all about"

Draco slumped down on a desk, covering his face with his hands.

"This is ridiculously unfair, you do realize that don't you?"

Snape got on with marking his work.

He did not need to answer that question...it sounded more like a statement,  
anyway.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Are you ok, 'Mione?" Ron asked her sympathetically.

She nodded her head numbly.

She couldn't eat her dinner.  
She didn't think she would eat ever again.

She could still feel eyes looking at her.  
Everyone seemed to know what had gone on in their lesson this morning.

She could feel Pansy Parkinson's eyes boring into her.  
Glaring at her.  
Probably wanting her to shrivel up and die.

And she would have gladly done it, if she could have.

"I'm fine...just a little shocked, that's all"

Harry kept peering around him.

"What's up with you?" Ron asked him, before packing his mouth full of mashed  
potato.

"Its _her_... " He told them, his voice almost in a whisper. "Ever since  
McGonagall paired us up, she's been popping up in the most extraordinary  
places..." Hermione looked at him. "...Like the lad's toilets..."

"What does she say to you?" She asked him curiously, a smile playing on her  
lips.

Harry shuddered. "She just keeps asking me if I want to touch her 'baby  
bump'!"

Ron laughed heartily.  
At least he didn't have that problem.  
Parvati was far more relaxed.

Hermione noticed Ron steal a quick glance in Parvati's direction.  
Now she felt even worse.  
Not only was she paired up with a complete and utter prick, but the boy that  
she had feelings for was probably going to grow feelings for someone else  
instead!

It was not a good day for Hermione Granger

She didn't think things could get any worse...  
Then she felt lead drop into her stomach.

_ HE_ had just appeared in the Great Hall.

Hermione glared over at him.

He was looking for someone.

And then his eyes stopped at hers.

Soon, he was marching towards their Gryffindor table, and all eyes seemed to  
follow him as he made his way there.

"Granger" He said with a low growl.  
He stopped directly in front of her, ignoring the small snickers that echoed  
through the Hall.

Hermione's face held defiance.

"A word" He said simply, before stalking off, his robes bellowing out behind  
him.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She knew this would happen sooner or later.

She slowly got up from the table.

Harry grabbed her hand.  
"Don't do what he says, Hermione. Don't let him rule this thing already"

Hermione smiled at her best friend.  
But it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"If I want the marks, then I have to be the bigger person, Harry"

With sympathetic looks from both Harry and Ron, Hermione began to walk the  
path that Malfoy had walked not moments before.

When she walked through the doors of the Great Hall, she saw him standing  
there by the staircase.

He turned around and faced her.  
His face seemed unreadable, Hermione was unable to see what was going on in  
his head.

"When the sprog is born, let me know. We'll take it from there"

Hermione was absolutely fuming.

"It isn't for you to say where 'WE' will be taking anything from!" She told  
him in an angry voice, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

He just stood there, looking as if a bucket of icy water had been thrown at  
him.

"Listen, Granger" He told her, his voice low as he approached her slowly. "I  
don't like this half as much as i you /i seem to, and if I'm quite honest,  
I don't like the idea of you being the host to i my /i seed that is now  
inside your body" His saunter towards her made Hermione take a few steps  
back.

"...but in order for me to get by when I leave this god forsaken school...I  
need to pass this exam"

He was only a few feet away from her now.

Hermione stood her ground. "What on god's green earth makes you think that I  
would _LIKE _ this situation?!" She asked him, her voice hissing in a  
low whisper. She knew that if she raised her voice that she would draw  
unwanted attention.

Draco shrugged. "All women live to get _'Sprogged Up'_, Granger...it's a fact  
of life"

Hermione glared furiously at him.  
Getting 'Sprogged Up' by Malfoy was one thing she had never intended to be  
on her list..

No matter if it WAS only 'pretend'...

"Your putting me off children for life right now, Malfoy" She told him  
sarcastically.  
He was putting her off the idea of even having to look after the one that  
had been planted inside of her!

Malfoy smirked.  
"Good...at least you won't be spreading your nasty little Muggle germs  
around!"

Hermione moved forwards towards him, intent on slapping his face...hard.

Malfoy caught her wrist quickly, chuckling at her as he did so.

"You think I haven't learned my lesson from third year?" He asked her,  
looking at the had that had attempted to smack him.

Hermione pulled her wrist back sharply, rubbing it slightly when she felt it  
burn from where Malfoy had hold of it.

"I hate you" She told him, holding eye contact with him.

Malfoy's eyes darkened.

"Where there's no love, there's no loss" He told her, his voice at a whisper.

He stepped backwards and turned his back on her.

"Let's just get through this bloody exam, Granger" He said to her, walking  
down the steps that lead to the Great Hall. "You don't need to talk to me,  
and I don't need to talk to you...for now"

And then he disappeared from her view.

Hermione was seething with anger.

_'Let's just get through this exam_' She thought angrily, making her  
way towards the doors once again. _'Who the bloody hell does he think  
he- _

Hermione glared.

As she opened the doors to the great Hall, an unholy sight met her eyes.

Half of the population of the school had decided to stand there with their  
ears to the doors!

_ 'Is this the best gossip they can get, lately?'_ she asked herself,  
barging through the bodies and making her way back to Ron and Harry.

She slumped down in her seat.

"I take it it went well, then?" Harry asked her with a smile.

She couldn't help the smirk that etched her features.

"It couldn't have gone better"

...Sarcasm was always the lowest form of wit...


	4. Chapter 4

**

* * *

Chapter Four**

_'You sit there in your heartache.  
Waiting on some beautiful boy to,  
save you from your old ways.  
You play forgiveness,  
watch it now,  
here he comes!  
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus,  
but he talks just like a gentleman.  
Just like you imagined,  
when you were young'_

"This...is...not...fair..."

Hermione rushed to the toilet in her dorm room for what seemed like the  
billionth time that day.

It had started at approximately 5am.

And it hadn't stopped since.

Hermione threw herself over the toilet and hurled her guts up.

_ 'Honestly'_ she thought to herself. _'I didn't know I had so much  
food the bring up...surely there's nothing left inside me!' _

But there was.  
IT was inside her.

Making her body shift and change, causing her to become nauseated and ill.

After rinsing her mouth out with water (and brushing her teeth so that her  
breath didn't smell like vomit), Hermione wandered back into her room,  
falling onto her bed.

She just wanted to lie there and sleep the day away.  
To say that she felt like shit was a complete understatement.

She knew she had big black circles under her eyes, even though she hadn't  
looked into one single mirror.  
She didn't want to...she knew she looked like death warmed up, so why have a  
look and find out that the mirror agreed with her?

The alarm clock started to ring, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.

Another day, another way to live her life.

She begrudgingly moved from the bed and went about preparing herself for her  
school day.  
Removing her pink pajama bottoms and white vest top, she opened up her  
wardrobe to fetch her uniform.

As she lay them out on the bed, she accidentally caught the sight of herself  
in the mirror on the small dresser on the other side of her room.

She studied her appearance critically.

She _did _look like shit.

Her skin was pale.  
Her face looked sunken and miserable.  
And her body looked under nourished.

She looked further down at herself.  
She HATED looking; but if she needed to notice any slight changes, then she  
would have to start doing this on a regular basis.

Her white training bra cupped her breasts comfortably...although now that  
she thought about it...

She wasn't a 'big' girl up top, but she wasn't pigeon chested either...

Her eyes widened.

_'They can't be growing already!' _

She knew they weren't...but the mind seemed to play tricks on you when you didn't want it to...

She kept forgetting that this 'pregnancy' was only a two month deal.  
So obviously things would have to develop a lot quicker than what was  
normally expected.

Hermione absentmindedly put her hand on her tummy and stroked it a few  
times.  
Was she supposed to feel a bump there yet?

She didn't feel anything on the outside.  
However, she was damn sure that something was there on the inside.

After one quick glance of her stomach in her mirror, she put on her school  
robes.

Almost ready to face another day.

- - - T.MARIA - - -

"I just can't stop staring"

"I'm not even showing anything, yet!" Hermione told Harry, looking at him in  
bewilderment.

Harry shook his head. "It's not that" He told her. "It's just the fact that  
you've got Malfoy's kid hidden away in there somewhere..."

"Probably poisoning you from the inside" Ron pointed out to her whilst  
leaning over her to grab the jug of Berry Juice that sat in front of her.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Unlikely, since I have decided to ignore the fact that Malfoy even exists"  
She told them matter-of-factly.

Harry offered her some waffles.  
She smelt them gingerly before shaking her head.  
She didn't want to risk another trip to the bathroom.

"You need to eat" Ron told her between mouthfuls of Bacon and Eggs. "I've  
told Parvati that if I don't see her eating at least three times a day, then  
I'm gonna force feed her..."

Hermione sniggered.  
Maybe he was one of those _feeders..._ secretly fattening his 'mate' up  
because he preferred the plumper woman inside of her.

Hermione thought for a minute.  
What Ron had said suddenly triggered something inside of her.

She didn't have anyone to force her to eat.  
She just had an empty hole where the 'father figure' should be.

She would be damned if she allowed Malfoy to get really involved..he would  
probably mess the whole thing up.

_'Speak of the devil...and he shall appear'_ She thought with a sigh.

He sat down with his cronies at the Slytherin table, casually tucking into  
his breakfast.

Hermione felt bile rise up in her throat.

_'Ha!'_ She thought to herself. _'If I'm sick, then that obviously  
means that this baby isn't so keen on Malfoy, either...' _

Her eyes suddenly widened.  
She _Was _ going to be sick.

She shoved Harry and Ron out of her space, and then made a quick run for the  
doors to the Great Hall.  
She would be damned if she was sick with everyone there to laugh at her...

Especially Malfoy...

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Being late was inadequate.  
Being late was the sort of thing one did when they wanted to test the  
boundaries.

Being late was something that he was ridiculously good at.

He sauntered in to the room, to find the seating arrangement quite different  
to what he had remembered.

_'Ah...bollocks..._'They were all paired up.

His blood began to boil.

The only person in the room that seemed to be sat with no one was Granger.  
And he would be damned if he would honour her with his presence.

Instead, he walked straight past her table with his i naturally /i cocky  
arrogance.

"Mr. Malfoy, glad you could grace us with your presence" McGonagall's voice  
said from behind him. "And do remember that you should be sat with your  
partner today..."

Malfoy sneered.

Rolling his eyes and turning to the front, his let his arrogance roll of of  
him and right through the room.

Hermione seethed.

He stood there with his white school shirt hanging out of his  
trousers...his tie was loose in the knot, with the last two buttons of his  
shirt undone at the top.

_ 'Prat'_ She thought loathingly, looking him over.

He had some sort of black bangle on his wrist, which was attached to a hand  
which was buried within his trouser pocket.  
The duffel back he was carrying was about to fall of his shoulder, making  
his look even more arrogant.

His right hand went to his hair, which he pushed out of his eyes with his  
finger tips.

_'Stupid, ignorant prat'_

Hermione turned away and decided to concentrate on the booklet in front of  
her.  
If she kept looking at him then she would end up getting out of her chair  
and hitting him over the head just to knock some manners into him.

"Can I not just take my usual place, at the back of the room?" Malfoy asked,  
his voice taking on a whine that resembled that of a five year old child.

McGonagall glowered at him.

Malfoy seemed to shrivel like a flower.

Completely defeated, he dragged out the chair next to Hermione's, and set it  
in the middle of the room.  
He sat there defiantly, his arms crossed and an expression of complete and  
utter ignorance on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She wasn't _that _ bad...

"Malfoy" Hermione said sternly. "Your holding up the class with your foul  
attitude"

Malfoy looked over at her, a glare upon his features. "No one asked you to  
speak, Granger"

"Mr. Malfoy" the Professor said angrily. "If you do not get behind that desk  
right now, then I will not only take points off Slytherin-

Yet another moan erupted from the room.

"-but I will deduct marks from your's AND Miss Granger's project!"

Malfoy gulped.

He felt the tie around his neck get tighter.  
And then he found himself being dragged by it, only to lose his balance from  
his seat and fall onto the floor.

"Get behind this desk now, or I swear to god that I will do something that I  
WON'T regret!"

He looked up at the culprit whom still had his tie in their hands.

She shot him a death defying glare.

_'How DARE she even touch me, the filthy little Muggle loving  
Mudblood!'_ He thought as he stared up at her.

He knew he could not make this statement out loud for fear of more points  
being taken from Slytherin, so instead her opted for;

"Stupid bitch..." He muttered; sneering at her venomously as he grabbed his  
tie out of her hands and got up from the floor

He begrudgingly moved his chair closer to the table.

Not directly behind it where he should be sat...that was giving in.  
Not quite jutting out into the main walk way...that was just asking for  
trouble.

He turned to McGonagall and smiled sarcastically.  
"Better?" He asked her.

"For now" She told him sternly.

Draco glowered.  
It was never going to get any better than this, so the stupid old cow might  
as well get used to it...

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

It was halfway into the lesson and Malfoy was already growing restless.  
What did morning sickness and sensitive breasts have to do with him?

He looked around the classroom.  
The girls all looked worse for wear.

Pansy actually had a sick bucket next to her!  
But whether that was because of the sprog, or because of Neville...he wasn't  
too sure.

"It may take some time to get used to" the professor said, perched upon her  
desk. "But I assure you that once you adapt to it that you eventually come  
to quite enjoy it"

Hermione grumbled.  
There was no way she could get used to any of this.

McGonagall was bringing it all home for Hermione.  
She was _actually_ going to look after a child...a child that would be  
molded from the genes of both herself and i him... /i

She started to panic a little.  
What if the child didn't like her?  
What if it preferred that Dick Head instead?

Oh, how ironic that would be.

"How long will it be before any of us begin to start showing?" Parvati asked  
curiously.

McGonagall thought about that for a minute. "I think it will depend on your  
own genes...your shape and just the speed at which the child will develop  
inside of you" She then smiled. "But I should think that within your third  
week, that most of you will start to be showing the tiniest amount"

McGonagall studied her students.  
"If you pretend that the weeks of your pregnancy are months, then you may  
become less confused"

The student kept looked at her.  
"For each week of your pregnancy, you should count it as one month.  
Considering this is your first week, you are only approximately one month  
along, and therefore you should be showing no real signs of  
pregnancy...besides the side effects, of course."

Some of the girls started murmuring pleasantly.

Hermione tapped her quill unconsciously on the wood of the table, immersed  
in her own thoughts of pregnancy and motherhood.

_ Tap.._

Draco noticed.

_Tap...Tap..._

Draco's eye twitched a little.

_Tap...Tap...Tap..._

Draco started to flinch in annoyance each time the tip hit the wood.

_ Tap.Tap.Tap.Tap.Tap..._

Draco flipped.

"Can't you give your annoyance a rest for just one lesson?" He asked her  
snidely.

He was still a small distance away from her, making a paper aeroplane out of  
the booklet that McGonagall had given them.

Hermione knew she was going to get nowhere in this project.  
He was full of irritating arrogance, and she was full of hatred.

"Can't you put a silencing charm on yourself?" She asked him, sounding very  
sarcastic.

Malfoy's eyebrow rose at her.

"How would that work?" He asked her, almost as if he were mocking her latest  
statement.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She was not being goaded into a fight right now.

"Just shut up and keep out of my way, Malfoy"

And then she caught on.

"Hang on...I thought you said that you had no need to talk to me?" She  
stated, looking over at him.

_'Bollocks...'_ He had forgot about that.

"I'm not..." He told her, thinking of a reply. "I'm irritating you, there's a  
clear difference"

Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten.

When that didn't work, she just chose to pretend he wasn't there.

"If you look at your booklets, you will see some questions on page three  
about the progress from an Embryo to a Fetus"

Hermione hadn't even realised that The Professor was speaking.

"I want you to answer these for a small homework, and then I want you to use  
the Journals I have given you on your desk, and fill them in whenever  
something important happens"

Malfoy looked down at his battered booklet.  
It looked more like a jumbo jet now.  
How the hell was he supposed to get the questions now?

He looked over to see Granger's fuzzy head already stuck inside the  
booklet...already answering the questions.

Bloody typical.

He didn't want to ask...asking anything from Granger made him feel dirty and  
tainted...  
But if he didn't then his balls would probably be castrated by the old bat  
sat at the desk in front of him.

Biting the bullet, he peered over her shoulder slightly...

"I say, Granger..."

"Fuck off" She told him simply, not even looking up.


	5. Chapter 5

**

* * *

Chapter Five**

_'Its inevitable.  
It's a fact that we're gonna get down to it.  
So tell me,  
Why can't I?  
Breath, whenever I think about you?'_

**WEEK ONE** : _ONE MONTH_

"Do you feel any different?" Parvati asked her.

Hermione had gone to sit in a toilet cubicle for a while before her next  
lesson.  
She didn't have much time to herself however, as Parvati had walked in  
moments later and accosted her.

The girl sounded too excited for her own good.  
But then, she was carrying Ron's child inside her womb...the girl had one up  
on her.

"Only the sickness" Hermione answered her simply.

The cubicle door was closed, but Parvati still continued to talk.

"I've been having small problems..." She said, powdering her nose. "Mainly  
my hormones...they're all over the place!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
Parvati was a walking hormone anyway...god help Ron.

"Just the sickness for me" Hermione told her, not really wanting to carry on  
the conversation.

Hermione had looked over at the pair during lesson.  
She had nothing else to do considering she had an egotistical pig sitting  
next to her.

They seemed to be getting on so well; too well, she thought.

Hermione rubbed her breasts slowly.  
She knew it was all in her head...but her breasts felt more sensitive than  
usual...  
Even her bra felt like it was digging into the tops of them.

_ 'Now your just being stupid...' _she thought to herself.

Hermione stood from her sitting position on the lid of the toilet, and  
opened the door.

Parvati looked at her.  
"Ooh!" She said, looking concerned. "You look terrible"

Hermione wanted to say _"Thanks, bitch"_ But thought better of it.

Hermione just said her goodbyes and walked out of the bathroom, deciding  
that it would probably be better to just go straight to her next lesson.

She walked through the students.  
She didn't really pay any attention to any of them until she walked straight  
into one.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to watch your dirty Muggle body when  
it's around me?"

Hermione groaned.  
Not him again.

Draco wiped of some sort of invisible dust from his shirt.  
"I feel all dirty now"

"I'm not in the mood now, Malfoy" She told him, pushing past him.

When he resisted her, she looked up at him, anger flaring at him from within  
her eyes.

He glared back down at her.  
Then he pushed something into her hands.

She looked down, wondering what the hell he was doing.

_'My booklet!'_

She stared back up at him, her stare spitting venom.

"You stole this from me?!" She asked him, continuing to get knocked about  
the shoulders by the other students who were walking around them as they  
stood in the middle of the corridor.

"Borrowed" He said, matter of factly. "I borrowed it from you"

"This was in _ my_ bag" She told him angrily.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ok, then I borrowed from your bag"

"THIEF!" She shouted at him.

Some of the students around them began to look at them curiously.

Draco looked around, utterly perplexed.  
"Keep your voice down!" He told her, taking her arm and pulling her further  
to the side where the rush of traffic was not so heavy.  
"I didn't have any other way of copying down the answers, did I?"

Hermione was furious.

So he couldn't act civilly to her, and he couldn't tolerate being within five  
feet of her...but he could COPY off her?

"Your despicable" She told him, her voice full of anger.

Draco shrugged. "Yeah well, I'll get over it"

Hermione took her arm away from his grasp and carried on walking down the  
hall.  
If she stayed there any longer then she would be forced to do something to  
him that wouldn't be so pleasant.

"Hey!" He shouted after her. "Be glad I gave it you back...I could of burned  
it"

Hermione ignored him and kept walking.

**- - - T.MARIA - -**

Later at Dinner, she was absolutely famished.

Harry and Ron both welcomed this change within her, as it made a change from  
the 'no food' sign she was practically holding above her head earlier in the  
day.

"Do you think you'll start feeling the real changes soon, Hermione?" Harry  
asked her.

Hermione shrugged, too content with eating her food.

She had no idea what the next few weeks would bring.  
But it would most probably bring sickness.

She didn't know if she wanted to i see /i the signs anymore...maybe it was  
because she knew it was Malfoy that was apart of the creation process.

She shuddered.

Damn that stupid bloody nobhead, and his stupid blood infuriating being!  
Why was he alive?

Was he put on the Earth just to piss her off?  
Hermione had been thinking about that answer all day.

Yesterday, when he had told her that he saw no need to speak to her...she  
felt relieved.  
She felt a weight lift off her shoulders about the prospect of not having to  
hear Malfoy's insufferable whining voice in her ears all day...

And now she was just Pissed.

What made him change his mind?  
What made him speak to her today?

Yes, he had told her that he liked to irritate her.

_ 'And he does it so well...'_ she thought, anger bubbling inside of  
her just by thinking about him.

...But this Malfoy was worse than ever!  
because now she had to sit next to the stupid twat in every single one of  
her 'Life Lessons' Classes...

Dammit all to hell!!

_'And damn him all the way there, too!'_

Hermione suddenly lost her appetite just thinking about him.  
She pushed the plate away from her, and then stood up from the table.

"Are you going?" Harry asked her, looking at her plate to find it only half  
finished.

Hermione nodded. "I'm tired. I think I might get an early night"

Harry nodded at her in understanding.

Ron was too busy talking to Parvati who had sat next to him, telling him  
that she could feel the tiniest bump in her stomach already.

Hermione didn't even bother to say goodbye to them.  
She felt sick just looking at them.

She walked away from the table and made her way out of the Great Hall,  
feeling a pair of eyes glaring at her all the way.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Malfoy was reading in the common room when she entered.

His head stuck in some book with a dragon on it.

She just ignored him and walked towards the door that lead to the stairway  
of her dorm room.

"Not even a hello..." came his voice from the couch. "...what a nice way to  
greet the father of the unborn creature living inside of you..."

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed.  
She couldn't do this twice in one day.

She turned around and looked at him.  
"What would be the point in saying hello, when I'm bound to get some sort of  
wise-ass retort from your wide-open trap..."

Malfoy looked a little startled.  
He wasn't expecting that sort of retort from her.

"Never bite the hand that feeds you" He told her matter of factly, closing  
his book and sitting up straight on the couch.

Hermione snorted. "Don't say something when you have no idea what it means"

He chuckled.  
_ Chuckled!_

Hermione shook her head.  
"Never mind." She told him. "I'm going to bed, I've had enough of you for  
one day"

She opened the door to walk through.

"Admit it" She heard him again. He sounded serious. "Before these next two  
weeks are up, your going to be asking for my help"

Hermione wanted to cry.  
_ Why_ did he do this to her?

She turned around again to face him.  
"I thought you said you didn't want to help?" She pointed a finger at him.  
"YOU were the one who said that you would help once the kid was here...so  
you could wield it into a mini you...evil through and through"

Malfoy smirked at her.  
His composure was so relaxed. How the hell did he remain so calm in a row?

"First of all, it's rude to point" He told her. "And secondly, I'm not saying  
I want to help...I'm telling you that you will _want _my help"

Hermione shook her head at him in defiance.  
" I don't need you or anyone else to help me"

He shrugged.  
"You say that now...but just wait until your showing...and your disgustingly  
swollen ankles can't make it up the stairs properly..."

Hermione glared at him.  
"I would never ask you for help"

"And I would never help _you _ " He shot back at her. "But I would help  
my own sprog if I thought it was in any danger..."

Hermione suddenly got it.  
She realised what he was getting at.

No matter how much he denied it, he knew he was going to be concerned about  
this child that had been put inside of her.  
She knew that no matter what he said, if this child were put in any kind of  
danger, then he would want to protect it.

Whether it was real or not.

It was instinct.

It didn't matter about her.  
She was just the cocoon surrounding the precious life inside...

He didn't _have_ to care about her.

But if he wanted to pass the project, he had to care about the child.

Hermione just walked away from him, finally able to walk up the steps and  
make her way into her bedroom.

She wondered what tomorrow would bring.

But she knew that if nothing else, it would bring nothing but more trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

**

* * *

Chapter Six**

_ 'A lovestruck romeo,  
sings a streetsus serenade.  
Laying everybody low,  
with me a love song that he made.  
Finds a convenient streetlight,  
steps out of the shade.  
Says something like;  
"you and me babe how about it?" '_

** WEEK ONE** : _ONE MONTH_

Hermione looked around the Great Hall with a sigh.

Everyone was busying themselves with food.

And those who weren't were busying themselves with gossip.

Hermione did neither.  
She didn't feel herself today at all.

She guessed that half of the seventh year population (mainly the girls) were  
probably feeling just like her.  
It was _'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'_.

Something living inside your own skin.

How would she feel when she finally started to bloom?

Hermione wasn't a big girl.  
She wasn't petite either.

Her weight matched her height graciously, and to her knowledge she had never  
had any problems in that area.

But now she found herself unconsciously looking at herself in mirrors as she  
passed them, feeling like she was putting on some kind of non-existent  
weight.

_'I hate being body conscious!'_ She thought angrily as she looked down  
at her breakfast plate.

It was the third day.  
Yesterday was just as bad as the day before...but today was even worse.

She didn't think she could keep any food down.  
And for the first time ever, she was honestly thinking about skipping her  
classes.

Maybe Malfoy's DNA was poison or something...  
Maybe Ron _was _ right.

"You're not eating again" Harry stated, knocking her out of her trance.

Hermione shrugged.  
"I won't keep it down. I'll just get something later"

Harry looked at her sternly.  
"That's what you said yesterday, and the day before..."

Hermione gave him a warning look.  
He just shook his head.

"It's your life"

Hermione nodded.  
"Unfortunately."

She hadn't seen Malfoy at all yesterday.  
She was extremely glad of it.

No one there to goad her into any arguments.  
No one there to take the piss out of her and infuriate her.

And no one there to remind her of exactly i What /i kind of offspring she  
was carrying inside of her.

She shuddered.

"No, I don't like it" came Parvati's voice to the left of her, knocking her  
out of her thoughts.

Ron seemed immersed in conversation with her.

"I don't see why...its perfectly respectable"

She heard Parvati blanche.

"It's like calling you 'Ronald'...I wouldn't dream of even calling a child  
that name!"

"Hey!" Ron said defensively.

Parvati just shrugged her shoulders, ignoring him.  
"I am not calling my child Cecil"

Ron just breathed heavily.  
He knew he was fighting a losing battle.

Hermione couldn't stand watching them.  
It was as if they were actually enjoying this.

The got on very well, and this made Hermione's blood boil.

Maybe she was jealous...  
Jealous of Parvati because she had Ron.

Or maybe she was jealous because Parvati had someone who cared.

Unlike Malfoy.

Apart from the fact that he needed to pass this Project, Hermione knew that  
he couldn't give two shits about what was going on.

She didn't need him to care about her.  
She just needed him to do his part.

But she wouldn't ask him willingly.  
There was just no chance of that...

He was arrogant.  
He was pigheaded.

And he drew Hermione to the point of mental breakdown.

And for some reason; even though she hadn't seen him in a whole day, she  
found this really unsettling.  
They both knew that this project would only pass if they worked  
together...McGonagall had already stated that.

But she doubted that either of them would get past that big barrier that  
stopped them from being civil to each other.  
There was too much history there.  
There was too much hatred.

Too much bad blood.

"Are you coming, 'Mione?" Ron asked her, pulling on the sleeve of her school  
shirt.

Hermione looked up at him in confusion, yet again being pulled out of her  
deep thoughts.

"The bell's gone for first lesson" Harry told her from her other side.

She sighed regretfully and got up from her seat.

_ 'I really don't want to be heading for Potions right now...'_ she  
thought in dismay.

She knew damn well that _ he_ would be there.

- - - T.MARIA - - -

He kept looking forwards.  
If he looked at her now then he would most probably bite her head off.

Instead, he tapped his fingers on the wooden bench.

She infuriated him!  
What gave her the right to sit by him?  
She knew exactly how he felt about her.

"-And now he won't leave me alone!" She told him with a nasal whine. "He's  
stalking me...checking up on me and making sure I'm ok...I'm not an  
invalid!"

Draco begged to differ.

Pansy could moan for Britain.  
She could talk endlessly about her life and what was wrong with it...and she  
didn't care if she was boring the person she was talking to to death.

Draco put his head into the crease of his folded arm on the table.  
He banged his head a few times upon the wood.

He had more important things on his mind right now.

After a long and very degrading conversation with Snape last night, Draco  
had decided that he had to bite the bullet...

** F L A S H B A C K**

_"I don't think you completely understand the seriousness of your situation,  
Mr.Malfoy" Snape told him, putting bottles of ingredients onto the shelves  
inside his stockroom._

_"I understand completely" Draco told him defiantly._

_What right did Snape have to say whether Draco understood something or not?  
Snape had no idea about Draco's situation._

_"No" Snape told him simply. "If you understood then you wouldn't be stood  
here now discussing it"_

_Draco sneered.  
"I just don't see how it's possible"_

_Snape looked over at him from his cupboard.  
"It is possible..." Snape told him. "...Not as possible as you would have  
liked, but it can be done"_

_"I hate her" Draco told him, his hands curling into fists._

_That stupid fuzzy hair, and the way she thought she was so much better than  
everyone else._

_"You can hate someone, and still manage to work along side them, Mr. Malfoy"  
Snape said, rolling his eyes at the young boys statement._

_"I don't see how" Draco said, taking a seat on top of one of the tables._

_Snape began to get impatient.  
"By ignoring** who** she is, and concentrating on getting the grade that  
you need"_

_Draco looked at the professor.  
Family friend._

_Draco knew he had a point.  
He needed the grade._

_He would have excelled at this lesson if he wasn't working with  
** her...** _

_Then again...considering he wasn't into the whole baby thing...would he be  
acting like this with whomever he would have been partnered with?_

_Draco shook that thought from his head.  
He knew that he didn't want kids...ever.  
He just wasn't interested._

_And this new turn of events had just dampened what little curiosity he had  
left inside him._

_ **'Nah, it's definitely because of her...if would probably want give it a go  
if she wasn't my 'other half'...I want the grade, after all' **_

_"I told her that she'll be asking for my help soon" Draco told his Professor  
casually._

_"How quaint" Snape said snidely. "But you do realise that you have a rather  
stubborn Muggle-born Witch on your hands..."_

_"Meaning?" Draco asked arrogantly._

_Snape looked at him sternly.  
"Meaning" He began. "That it is most likely that she will never want to ask  
for your help...and therefore you will be shoved out of the project" Snape  
put back his jar of Beatle-Kracas onto the top shelf of his cupboard.  
"...and therefore **you** will be the one to lose points because she will  
have informed Professor McGonagall of your less than enthusiastic attempt to  
support her"_

_** 'Shit...'** _

_"I thought we were marked as partners?" Draco asked, now feeling a little  
anxious._

_"You are" Snape answered. "But you have a separate mark each for your  
involvement...and this mark also gets added to the marks that you get as a  
pair"_

_Draco frowned.  
"Professor McGonagall forgot to mention that little tid-bit of  
information..."_

_"That's because you're not supposed to know" Snape admitted, finally putting  
the last jar on the shelf and locking the stockroom door. "You are supposed  
to do it spontaneously"_

_Draco snorted.  
Yeah...like that was going to happen._

_"But seeing as though your such a ... **special **case, Mr.Malfoy"  
Snape smirked. "I thought I should reveal this little **'tid-bit'** of  
information..."_

_** 'Bollocks'** Draco thought angrily. **'Complete and utter rats  
bollocks...' **_

** E N D F L A S H BA CK**

Draco had drowned out Pansy's voice.  
Somewhere in the distance he could still hear her twittering on...but he had  
been around her long enough to know how to block out the sound of her voice.

So now he was in deep shit, it seemed.

NOW he had to actually tell Granger that he _had _ to help...

He didn't want to...  
He _had_ to.

Yes, that sounded like a plan.  
That would make it less humiliating for him.

He was being forced into it...  
Oh, now there was an even better circumstance!

But he couldn't do it.  
His pride would hurt too much.

And why should he?  
He knew she would just gloat.

Draco buried his head in his arm once again, trying to block out the sick  
feeling that had started to rise inside his body.

And then he heard Her.

Walking into the classroom with Potter.

_'I don't think my day could get any worse...'_

Hermione spotted him as soon as she entered the classroom.  
She ignored him and sat next to Harry, who was attempting to hide from  
Millicent who sat across from them.

She glanced over at him fleetingly.  
His head on the desk. She could have swore he looked like he were sleeping.

He glanced over at her.  
That usual glare became present on his face.

_ 'Nothing ever changes'_ she thought bitterly.

But what did she expect?  
When two people hated each other as much as they did, they weren't very  
likely to smile and make polite conversation towards each other, were they?

Draco decided to look back to the front of the classroom.

Snape was still marking his papers, almost as if he were unaware of the  
students in his presence.

_ 'It's all your fault'_ Draco thought angrily, looking at the teacher  
in front of him _'...If you hadn't of told me any of this, I wouldn't be  
sat here wanting hell to swallow me up...'_

His mood seemed to worsen when he chanced another glance over at Granger,  
and saw her unconsciously rubbing her flat stomach.

It felt as if she were mocking him.

Showing him that she had something inside of her that was partly his...

_ 'Hang on'_ He thought in a knee-jerk reaction. _'There's nothing that  
belongs to me even inside there...none of this is real, anyway' _

But it sucked like a bitch all the same.

And she was still doing it.  
Rubbing.  
Patting.  
Poking.

He had a good mind to tell her to pack it in.

Hermione felt him glaring at her.  
She wanted to turn towards him and glare back, but she knew that she would  
be the better of the two...she would not rise to the bait.

Draco shook his head bitterly.  
Shit like this could only happen to him.

"Silence" Came Snape's voice from the front of the classroom.

The lesson had finally begun.

**- - - T.Maria - - -**

Hermione picked up her books and made her way out of the Potions classroom.

She had said her goodbyes to Harry, and without risking a chance to glare at  
Malfoy whilst passing him, she quickly made her way out of the door.

She was desperate for the toilet.

She walked quickly and determinedly.  
If ANYONE got in the way of her and her destination, then there would be  
hell to pay.

When she finally got there, she ran into the loo to do her business.

"Hermione?" Came a dreamy voice from outside her cubicle.

Luna Lovegood.

"Hang on" She said, flushing the toilet and stepping out of the cubicle.

Honestly...didn't the Head girl get one moments peace in this place?

She washed her hands in the basin as Luna stared at her.

As much as she liked Luna, she did find her rather odd at times.

According to Seamus; she had already starting knitting for their unborn  
child.

Hermione was completely surprised to find her in their 'Life Lesson's'  
class...after all, the girl was a year below them, in Ginny Weasley's year.  
But apparently Luna's head of house had recommended Luna to McGonagall and  
Dumbledore...saying she was much more mature than many of the other children  
in her year, and that she would benefit from the class, just as much as the  
Seventh years would.

And they were right.  
Luna seemed to have taken to it like a duck to water.

"Did Malfoy get your parcels today?" She asked her, twirling her dirty  
blonde hair around her index finger.

Hermione looked puzzled.  
"What parcels?"

Why was Malfoy getting parcels?  
And even if he did get any, it was unlikely that he would share that kind of  
information with her.

To her knowledge, the Owl's hadn't brought her or Malfoy anything this  
morning.  
They usually dropped off their post on the table in the Common Room...and  
then demand some kind of food supplement as payment for their services.

"You should have got them delivered to your rooms this morning" Luna told  
her.

Hermione had woken up to nothing in her dorm room.  
"Why?" She asked curiously. "What is it?"

Luna shrugged.  
"I'm not sure...but when Seamus described it, it sounded awfully Muggle to  
me"

Hermione gave her a puzzled expression.  
"Did all of the class get this parcel?" She asked, opening the bathroom door  
and stepping through it.  
Luna followed her.

"I think so.." She answered, following closely behind Hermione as they made  
their way to their separate lessons.

Hermione gave her a puzzled look.  
"So it has something to do with the children?"

Luna nodded.  
"But I don't know how we're supposed to set it up...it sounds awfully  
complicated, and I feel that I may hurt myself if I tried to help to put it  
together"

Hermione was still none the wiser.

"Luna" She asked her friend adamantly. "What the hell is this parcel?"

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"AHHHHHHH!" Came Draco's cry from his dorm room.

_ 'What the bloody hell is THAT?!'_

He was now faced with something that he was sure to be the end of him.

Two big crates...and a set of instructions to assemble the contraptions put  
on top of them.

He read the top of each crate...his blood boiling in anger second by  
second...

_ 'What the HELL do I want with a crib and a bloody PLAY PEN?!'_


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Chapter Seven **

_'Look around you world,  
pretty baby.  
Is it everything that you hoped it would be?  
The right kinda wrong situation.  
The right time to roll to me'_

**WEEK ONE** : _ONE MONTH_

Hermione stumbled on the sight before her and stiffened.

This was something new.

She would never see this again.

There...in front of her...was Draco Malfoy...playing with a spanner.

She smirked.

So _this _was the parcel?

Draco heard her walk through the common room door, and instantly felt her  
stare.  
He knew he had just been caught in a compromising position.

He heard her snigger.

He looked around at her and glared.

"You think is funny, do you?" He asked her from where he was sitting.

Hermione couldn't help but nod her head at him.  
There he sat, in the middle of two open crates, with all sorts of  
complicated looking bars splayed around him.

Draco just rolled his eyes and got back to work.  
He almost wasn't going to even attempt it...but on the instructions it said  
that only the male of the pair was allowed to set the apparatus up...what  
with the 'female' being in a delicate condition and all...

That was a load of bullocks.  
They just wanted the lads to do all the hard work.

And the way he saw it, he was getting extra points for himself.

So he dragged all of the equipment into the common room and emptied them  
all over the floor...

And then found (to his utter distaste) that he couldn't use his wand to set  
it up!  
...It had to be done with 'tools!'

Well, Draco had never seen a 'tool' in his life.

Some sort of Muggle contraption, no doubt...McGonagall had probably given it  
to him on purpose just to spite him.

Wizard's didn't use cribs...they used hammock-like beds because they were  
much easier to set up.  
Maybe the Professors give them cribs on purpose to see how much they could  
challenge them...

But he would be damned if he was beaten!

Hermione just continued to stare at him.  
She was completely and utterly taken aback by the fact that he was even  
attempting to set all the apparatus up...she had expected that she would  
have to do everything herself considering she had thought she wasn't going  
to ask him for his help...

But apparently she no longer had to ask.

"Do you know what your doing?" She asked him from the doorway, her voice  
held a humorous tone to it.

He didn't like it.

Draco flung his spanner in the air and ignored her.  
The less interruptions he got, the better.

"Go away, Granger" He told her, looking at the diagram on the sheet of  
paper in front of him. "I'm attempting a very complicated matter here, and I  
would appreciate it if your moaning mouth was shut"

The picture on the diagram looked nothing like the contraption that he had  
tried to put together.

Hermione glared at his back. Sensing his puzzlement, she added;  
"You might want to turn it upside down, Malfoy"

And with that, she stomped off up the stairs.

Malfoy rolled his eyes.  
Women.  
Who needed them?

Who needed moaning, conniving, and highly over-sensitive women?  
He was content in just having himself...

And the bloody muggle contraption was about to be thrown out of the nearest  
window.

Granger would probably know how to read the directions properly...

But pigs would fly over Hogwarts before he even decided to ask her.

He didn't need anyone's help.  
He was a Malfoy.

Malfoy's made their way in the world without being dependent on anyone else.

Draco gave up and threw the spanner at the metal on the floor...  
Unfortunately for him, he threw it too hard and caused it to bounce back up  
and hit him in the nose.

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"

**++ T . M A R I A ++**

**_"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!"_**

Hermione sniggered to herself.  
It served him right.

She lay on her bed and closed her eyes, desperately wanting to fade away the  
day within the blink of an eye.  
She didn't think she could take this nausea any longer...  
And it wasn't just the sickening feeling she felt whenever she looked at  
Malfoy...

It was that horrible sickening feeling she got whenever she thought about  
food.

She pulled up her school shirt and looked down at her tummy.  
Still minutely small...but still there.

Still tiny; no bump at all...and yet there was something growing inside  
there.

Hermione smirked to herself when she remembered what she saw before her when  
she had entered the common room.  
Luna had told her about the crib...and told her that she couldn't use magic  
to put it together...  
Hermione thought it was strange, considering she didn't have any kind of  
parcel in her room this morning.

She had come back to her common room later that day after lessons...and  
_that_ was the scene that she found before her.

She found it almost...human, of Malfoy.  
He was sat there completely frustrated, and it pleased her so much that she  
had half a mind to give him some sort of sarcastic remark...but considering  
he seemed to be helping her, she had decided to let it lie.

"GRANGER!" He shouted at her from the bottom of her stairs. "Get your ass  
down here before I attempt suicide!"

Hermione had half a mind to stay where she was and let him do it.  
Give them both a good day.

Instead, she pulled down her top and walked towards her door.

She knew it was too good to be true...there was no rest for the wicked.

She went to the top of her stairs.  
"What do you want, Dick head?" She shouted down at him.

He appeared through the door, which was slightly ajar.  
His face was set in stone, and his stance was so arrogant that she felt like  
turning back into her room and ignoring him.

"A minute of your _oh-so-precious_ time..." He told her, before walking  
back from the door and disappearing into the common room again.

He stood and waited for her to come down the stairs.  
He was at his wits end.  
He really didn't want to ask her for help, but he didn't see any other  
choice when he was failing to read the instructions...

She finally appeared through the door, her arms crossed at her chest and her  
expression was an annoyed one.

Draco threw the instructions manual at her.  
"Read it"

Hermione went to retort, but he cut in before she could even try.

"And don't even bother giving me your _Holier-than-thou_ attitude...I  
just need you to tell me what goes where...its all in the manual"

His picked up his spanner again and waited for her instructions.

Instead he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

She had thrown the instruction manual at him.

He turned around and glared fiercely at her. "Oi!"

She shrugged her shoulders at him and smirked.  
"Don't speak to me like that if you want my help, Malfoy"

"I _don't_ want your help"

Hermione gave him a pointed look.

He rolled his eyes.  
"Alright...lets try this the _less _pleasant way, shall we..." He told  
her. Taking a deep breath, and counting to three before he spoke. "Can you  
tell me the instructions... _Please_ Granger..."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

The 'please' was so forced...  
But it was obviously the best she was going to get out of him.

She caught the instruction manual as he threw it back at her.  
She opened it at the page that said 'Step One'...

"Ok.." She said, walking around to the soft satin chair not far from Malfoy,  
and plopping herself down. "...You need to attach the undercarriage to the  
left gate..."

Malfoy looked over at her; an utterly perplexed look upon his face.

...Two completely different pieces of metal in his hands to the ones she had  
just described...

This was going to take along time...


	8. Chapter 8

**

* * *

Chapter Eight**

_'I try and try to forget you girl,  
but its just so hard to do.  
Every time you do that thing you do'_

**WEEK THREE** : _THREE MONTHS_

Hermione sat in their 'Life Lessons' class two weeks later.

As she looked around her, she noticed the slight changes in all of the other  
girls.  
They seemed much more content now that they were slowly starting to adjust  
to their pregnancy.  
Hermione looked down at her own stomach to see the smallest bumps resting  
there.

It was so small, that if she didn't know she was pregnant then she might of  
thought that she was gaining a bit of a Buddha belly...

McGonagall had informed them that they were approximately nine weeks  
along...which was incredibly scary when Hermione had time to ponder...

This meant that the baby was now around two to three inches long...this  
thought scared her even more.

_... 'By the end of this month your baby will be recognizable as a human.  
The face is formed, complete with 32 permanent teeth buds. There are even  
nails at the end of the fingers and toes. The genital organs are still  
forming, so you are not likely to be able to distinguish the sex yet.  
Cartilage bones are forming rapidly, and the muscles have already begun to  
be laid down. Your baby will even move as the brain, nerves and muscles  
begin to function. However, baby's small size makes his movements  
undetectable.  
Your baby has a sucking reflex already in place, and may suck on his thumb  
or fist. He is also practicing swallowing the amniotic fluid, and at this  
point is able to excrete it as urine.  
At the end of the twelfth week your baby will be around 3.5 inches long and  
weigh 1.7 oz.' ..._

Having handed in her homework into the Professor earlier this morning, the  
teacher had asked her if she was feeling any better about her situation.

Hermione didn't really know what to say to that question.

Pregnancy wise, she was starting to feel less nauseated...she realised that  
her body was finally accepting the alien inside of her.

Malfoy wise...well, that was a different matter.

The last time she had spoken to him civilly had been two weeks ago, when she  
had helped Malfoy to erect the small crib in the common room.  
And the only reason they had been remotely civil was because they probably  
would have killed each other with the pieces of metal and wood lying around,  
if they hadn't.

They had finally got the job done...almost three hours later.

She had a temper tantrum.  
He had stormed out...twice.

Then, when it was finished...Hermione noticed something.

Malfoy looked...triumphant?

There was a little spark in his eyes that she had never seen before.  
As if he had truly accomplished something.

He almost looked happy!

She could tell that he was as proud as punch with himself.  
Obviously he had never attempted something so challenging before.

And then almost as if they had forgotten i who /i they were and  
i what /i was going on... they were back to normal.  
Arguing about where the bloody Crib was supposed to go...

**F L A S H B A CK**

_"I think it should go in your room" He told her matter of factly. "Theres no  
way that I'm having a screaming munchkin in my room all bloody night...I'd  
rather kill myself first, if you don't mind"_

_"Be my guest" She told him sarcastically._

_It was supposed to be a partner exercise...how the hell were they going to  
even consider passing this project when they couldn't even decide on  
something as simple as sleeping arrangements?_

_Hermione gave in._

_"Fine, the crib can stay in my room" She told him. "But the play pen can  
stay here in the common room"_

_Draco rolled his eyes for the ump-teenth time that day and then attempted to  
pick the crib up and carry it towards the door that lead to the stairs._

_He tried to move it, but it wasn't budging._

_Too heavy._

_Instead, he tried to push it.  
Slowly, it started to move across the floor of the common room._

_He was about to ask Granger to help him out...when he realised that if he  
actually said anything, then he would be going back on everything that he  
had already said to her..._

_His stubbornness getting the better of him, he continued to push the crib to  
the stairs._

_She looked at him, humour etching her features._

_Was she laughing at him?_

_"If you want my help, Malfoy" She told him matter of factly. "Just ask"_

_He glared at her. _

_**'Never...'** _

_He had practically lowered himself into doing that a few hours ago...and now  
he was feeling the guilt of letting himself down._

_Instead of voicing his thoughts out loud, he just continued to struggle with  
the crib._

_Hermione sighed.  
That boy was a complete conundrum._

_Stubborn to the core._

_She knew he was determined to carry it all the way up the stairs for her...  
Why didn't he just let her do it herself?  
Didn't he even realise that he was helping her out?_

_She could see the concentration in his face._

_She shook her head and took out her wand._

_Under her breath she conjured up the b feather weight /b charm..and  
suddenly the crib was lifted from Malfoy's arms, and was floating up the  
stairs on its own._

_Malfoy just stared at it in disbelief.  
He had spent what seemed like forever putting the bloody thing together  
**without** a wand...it was almost as if he had forgotten that he had  
one!_

_**'Bloody Muggles...'** He thought to himself. **'I don't know how they  
get by in life...' **_

_"There's nothing more to do" Hermione told him._

_Draco shrugged. "Good. I can get back to doing my usual thing then..."_

_Hermione smirked.  
"Like what? ...Wanking?"_

_Malfoy looked over at her, his eyes wide.  
He did NOT expect that word to come from her muggle mouth._

_He stuck his nose up into the air, his arrogance once again back in  
place...where it should be_

_"Why should I bother with that, when I've got someone who can do it for  
me..."_

_She watched him as he walked from the common room and out into the hallway,  
shutting the door behind him._

_Hermione just shook her head._

_**'So stubborn...' **_

**E N D F L A S H B A C K**

Right now he _barely _sat next to her.  
She knew he wasn't listening to a word McGonagall was saying...

He was too busy with his eyes closed; leaning back onto the two back legs of  
his chair.

It was the same the week before, too.  
He never paid a blind bit of notice...just expected her to do all of the  
listening and jotting everything down.

Bloody typical.

And yet...he never asked her what McGonagall had said in their lessons.

It was almost as if he really did not want to know what was going on around  
him.

"Longbottom...I'm going to string you up by your balls if you don't stop  
asking me if I'm _OK_ ..." Came Pansy's voice from across the classroom.

She suddenly burst into tears and ran from the room.

Longbottom ran after her.

The Professor looked up from her seat.  
"You had better get used to that, boys" She told them, the tell-tale signs  
of a smile playing on her lips.

Malfoy blanched.  
"Don't think I'll be following you around like a puppy,_ Granger_ "

Hermione smirked.  
"I wouldn't dream of it, _Malfoy._ "

He looked over at her.  
Her bushy head hung over the notes she was making on a piece of parchment.

"And don't think I'll be asking if your _'OK'_ , and start following you  
round with a pair of slippers, just in case your haggard feet are tired"

Hermione didn't rise to the bate.

"Ok" She told him simply.

Malfoy was starting to get disgruntled.

He was bored and he needed some entertainment...and for him, there was  
nothing better than goading Granger into an argument.

He put all four of his chair legs on the ground and leaned over her to see  
what she was writing.

He stared at the parchment over her shoulder.

"What does three inches have to do anything?" He asked her curiously.

Then he smirked to himself.

"But just to set your broken record straight... _Its more like nine to  
ten..._ "

Hermione looked over at him, her cheeks blushing furiously.

_'Got her!'_ he thought to himself with a grin.

"You're a pig" She whispered at him, her voice snapping like a twig.

"Oink, Oink" He whispered back, his low voice making her shiver to her core.

"And for your information" She told him, turning her head back towards the  
parchment. "Three to Four inches is approximately the size of _your_  
little Satan thats decided to live inside of me"

Malfoy thought for a minute, taking in the information she was giving him.

"Three inches, you say?" He asked her curiously.

Hermione nodded in answer.

_'Thats pretty small for a baby..._

Suddenly something seemed to slam into him with so much force that he felt  
like he could not breath.

It was like a ton of bricks knocking him in the chest and winding him.

He knew what that must have meant...

_'So...the impending thought of_ ' **Fatherhood **' _has finally decided to  
rear its ugly head.._.' He thought to himself...

He knew there was something he kept forgetting.


	9. Chapter 9

**

* * *

Chapter Nine**

_'I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend.  
You could cut back ties,  
with all those lies that you've been living in.  
I know something's wrong'_

**WEEK FOUR** : _FOURTH MONTH_

Hermione stared at the little crib in her room.

Upon speaking to Luna, Hermione had come to realise that she probably had  
one of the most awkward contraptions to set up than anyone else in her  
class.

_'Or maybe it's just Malfoy and his gammy mechanics'_ She thought with  
a smirk.

With the little _Spindle Corner Crib_ standing proud on the left hand  
side of Hermione's own double bed, it was almost giving off that look of  
complete arrogance that Malfoy had...

_'Its almost as if it knows who its maker is...'_ Hermione started to  
chuckle.

The creme canopy sitting on top of the crib seemed to make it look all the  
more elegant, and it matched the wooden spindles around the crib  
beautifully.

Hermione absentmindedly rubbed her stomach.

It _was _beautiful.

Hermione had been doing some reading lately.  
She was curious about the changes that her baby was going through.  
It was almost like she really needed to know exactly what was going  
on...almost as if it would somehow calm her, and make her feel less worried  
about what was going on on the inside.

At four months along, she never realised just i how /i much her baby was  
starting to develop, until she read up on it.

..._'His face, right down to the external ears will be well developed. He can  
frown, squint and grimace. Although he cannot see yet, his retinas are  
becoming sensitive to light. Eyebrows and scalp hair are beginning to  
appear. He can even suck his thumb.  
At the end of the sixteenth week your baby will be around 5.5 inches from  
crown to rump and weigh 6 oz, and baby is now big enough that his heartbeat  
can be heard with a regular stethoscope'_...

Hermione smiled to herself warmly, allowing the thoughts that entered her  
mind, about a healthy, happy child.

Hermione walked over to her small desk by the window, and reached for the  
journal.  
She had decided that if she wanted to get the best marks for herself, then  
she would have to write everything down.

So she did.  
From what time she was sick in the mornings...to what time she slept...to  
how long it took both her and Malfoy to put up the crib.

Hermione jotted down some little bits of information, and then put the  
journal away again.

She heard her tummy rumble.  
For the past day or two she had started to feel more appreciative of her  
food.

She knew she would have to take advantage of it, seeing as though there  
would be little time left for her before she knew she would start gaining  
baby weight.

She walked down the stairs of her dorm room, and out into the common room.

Hermione looked around, half expecting Malfoy to be there.  
But for the second time this week, she didn't see anything that would make  
her aware of his presence.

It had started two days ago.  
Ever since their 'Life Lesson's' Class, Malfoy had been even more sarcastic  
and moody around her.

Honestly!  
You would think it was _him _having the baby!

When she told him to go to hell, he told her he was already there.

But the attitude wasn't what had bothered Hermione.

It was the way he was looking at her.

It was like he was looking at her for the first time.  
As if he was weighing up his options or something.

And then he sneered.

_'Thats the old Malfoy I know and despise'_ She thought.

He had turned on his heel and had gone through the door that lead to his  
dorm room.  
Probably to sulk on his own.

Hermione shook her head to rid her thoughts, and glanced around the room one  
final time before opening the door to the common room and stepping out into  
the hall.

**+++ T.MARIA +++**

"I'm having the worst time" Blaise moaned loudly.

Malfoy could empathise with him.

"The worst of it is the fact that she just seems to think that she can just  
click her fingers and I'll come running"

Draco couldn't empathise with that.  
But he could sympathise.

Granger knew better than to expect i anything /i from him.

"Ignore her" Draco told him casually, eating his dinner.

Blaise shook his head.  
"I can't, she's blackmailing me!" He told his friend with a scared look on  
his face. "She keeps telling me that if I don't co-operate then she's going  
to tell McGonagall...and then the old cow will drop my marks"

Malfoy snorted.  
That was complete and utter bullshit.

How come every girl within the school had somehow managed to turn all of the  
lads into nervous wrecks?

Well...except for him.  
HE would not be turned.

"And don't even get me started on that bloody Muggle contraption she had me  
setting up the other week!"

Draco could definitely empathise with that.

"I know" He answered. "In the end I had to-"

No..he wouldn't tell anyone that he had to _ask _Granger to help.

"-help Granger set it up."

Blaise looked over at him.  
"I thought the crib and play pen were delivered to your room?" He asked  
curiously.

Malfoy nodded.  
He needed to think of an answer...

_'Got it'_ he thought slyly.

"It did" He said casually. "But I'll be damned if you'll ever see me  
willingly do something that isn't for myself"

Blaise smirked.  
That sounded Just like Draco Malfoy.

Spineless.

"So I made Granger do it...and when she practically begged me for help, I  
couldn't stand her nasal whine anymore and gave in"

Blaise looked at him. "You must really hate her" He said casually.

Draco nodded.  
"She gets on my bloody nerves. She's always doing things her way...it pisses  
me off"

"But if your not involved, how do you expect to get any marks?" Blaise asked  
him.

Draco knew what he was getting at.  
"I am involved..." he answered. "...I'm just taking the back seat until the  
sprog is born"

Blaise accepted Draco's answer and got on with his Dinner.

Malfoy looked around him.

All the lads looked absolutely miserable...and yet the girls didn't seem to  
give a shit.

_'What happened to lad's being part of the whole deal?'_ Malfoy thought  
to himself. _'Or have we got to a point where sperm is only needed from a  
man, and that's it?' _

Draco shook his head.

Over to his left... just in the distance, he could see Seamus Finnigan  
sitting on the Hufflepuff table with Loony Lovegood.

Were they allowed to sit with other members of different houses?  
Or were the two inseparable?

_'Maybe Finnigan just likes playing 'House'..._

And yet...by looking at their faces, Malfoy could see their happy smiles,  
and their long gazes at each other.

It made him sick.

No lad was supposed to enjoy this.  
They were supposed to detest their partners and commiserate with each of  
their fellow sex.

_'Well...at least Potter is having a bad time'_ Malfoy smirked.

That had cheered him up.

Potter sat there looking completely deflated.  
He seemed to be talking to Granger about something or other...he didn't  
really care.

He moved his eyes over to Granger, to study her face.

He bet she was having a brilliant time, like the rest of the female  
population of the school.

But then...she didn't look too happy for a pregnant woman.

Her eyes held some sort of emotion that Draco could only hazard a guess  
at...

_Emptiness ._

Well...she was far from empty, wasn't she!

Malfoy had not expected to see the expression on her face.  
She was supposed to be happy like all the other girls...and yet, she looked  
as if something was missing.

Malfoy tore his eyes away and looked around the Great Hall again.

Searching for something.

_'What did all the other girls have, that Granger didn't?'_

Draco looked over at Patil and Weasley...a growl almost erupted from his  
throat.

SHE was supposed to be his.  
Not Granger.

And yet, there she was...looking through a rather large book with  
Weasley...the pair of them whispering to each other...laughing and joking...

That made him want to vomit.

He looked to his right and saw Crabble and Montague sitting there together.

They were laughing as well!

What exactly was all of this?  
Were the boys falling at their partners feet just because they had their  
sprogs inside them?

Draco shuddered.  
He'd be damned if he was following that trend.

He looked back over at Granger.  
She still looked depressed.

And then it clicked.

Looking around at all the couples...and then seeing her on her own...

There was something missing about her...

It was _him ._

_**+++ T.MARIA +++**_

Hermione sat in the library in silence.  
She had to get out of the Great Hall.

She could feel him glaring at her from across the room.

Instead, she got up from her seat and excused herself.  
Harry had asked her if she needed any company, but she had rejected it.

Sometimes it was just better to be by yourself.

She opened a book and began to read.  
She didn't know why she had picked it up, but she felt like reading a Muggle  
book.

_'Pawns of Prophesy'_ had always appealed to her...David Eddings was a  
magnificent writer.

Hermione started to get lost in the chapters, when she heard the doors of  
the library open.  
Someone ran in, their quick footsteps making them sound panicked.

Hermione turned around to see Blaise Zabini...whom ran past her to the end  
of the library and hid behind the back shelf.

Hermione was about to question his odd behavior, when someone else opened  
the library door seconds later.

Lavender.

Hermione smirked.

Of course...

Lavender the control freak was obviously getting the brush off from her  
partner.

Honestly, the girl was turning out to be a bunnie boiler.

"Have you seen Zabini?" Lavender asked her, sounding rather annoyed.

Hermione thought for a moment.  
Did she say she had...or did she tell her 'friend' that she hadn't seen him  
anywhere?

Then again...if she herself were running away from Lavender, then she would  
have a pretty good explanation for it.

Hermione shook her head.  
"Sorry, I've not seen anyone"

Lavender huffed.

She turned on her heel and left the library in a hurry.

Hermione heard the rustling of books from the back of the room.  
"Shes gone" She said with a smirk on her face.

Blaise appeared seconds later.  
He looked over at Hermione and gave her a courteous nod of the head.

A Slytherin was actually attempting to thank her.

Hermione just nodded her head in response and got back to reading.

Zabini looked over at her.  
For the horrible little Muggle that she was...

She wasn't that bad of a person.

Malfoy may have been wrong after all.


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

** Chapter Ten**

_ 'She moves like she don't care,  
smooth as silk.  
Cool as air.  
Oooh,  
it makes you wanna cry.  
She doesn't know your name,  
and your heart beats like a subway train.  
Oooh,  
it makes you wanna die.'_

** WEEK FIVE** : _FIFTH MONTH_

Draco lies on his bed.

Things were all wrong.

Everything was suddenly catching up with him.  
The horrible truth of it all came crashing down on him.

_ 'What makes the Professors think that I would even WANT a child in the  
future?'_

Ever since Thursday (And time had felt like it had stopped since then...even  
though it was now only Saturday) , Draco had been dwelling on his thoughts  
more and more.

It was all her fault.  
Holding that horrible lonely emotion in her eyes...

Making him realise the responsibility that he actually had now.

He was in shit so deep, that he could smell it.

Draco beat his fist against his forehead.  
What was he supposed to do?

Say;

_** " Hey Granger, we hate each others guts and everything..but I couldn't  
help noticing that if I don't step in then it's more than likely you'll be a  
single mother"**_

Nah, only a complete twat would say that.

The funny thing was that he knew she could cope quite well.  
She was fully equipped with enough knowledge and plenty of stubbornness...she  
could easily make it on her own for ten months...

But he couldn't have her keeping all the glory to herself.

Yeah...he hated the bitch.  
But at the end of the day, he was at least 50 involved considering he had  
shares in half the goods.

And if he didn't know any better, she would only end up 'raising' the kid  
wrong anyway...

And he would be damned if any 'child' of his was raised like a Muggle.

_ 'Stupid Muggles and their stupid Muggle ways...and their stupid bloody  
spanners!'_

And to make matters worse, BLAISE actually complimented her the other day!

Draco had been going on about how much the silly little bint infuriated  
him...  
How much he loathed her.

And then Blaise turned around and knocked the wind out of him with his  
statement;

_**'You know, Draco...She's not so bad when you get past the Mudblood side  
of her...'**_

He hadn't spoken to Zabini since.

Who the hell was he to tell Draco who was 'nice' and who wasn't?  
Hadn't Draco been in contact with her for a lot longer?

Malfoy moaned angrily and rolled off the bed.  
If he didn't get out of his bloody dorm room then he was going to do  
something stupid.

Like act rationally.

It didn't help that his new instinct for 'Fatherhood' was starting to creep  
into him.

He had sat there in potions yesterday, and he couldn't count on the amount  
of times that he had stared at the steadily growing bump in Granger's  
stomach.

It made him want to be sick...  
And yet, at the same time he felt something rather peculiar going on inside  
of him.

It was a _nice_ feeling...

Draco had tried to forget about it and just carry on being defiant.  
As long as he helped wherever was necessary, he couldn't exactly get marks  
taken off him.

Malfoy opened the door to his dorm rooms and walked out of it.

Wherever he was going, he hoped to god that he was alone.

**- - - T.MARIA - -**

How wrong could he have been?

There.  
On the Quidditch pitch.

Potter.

And up there, in the Gryffindor stands...all alone.

_Her._

Draco gripped his broom tighter.  
Only he could run into someone he really didn't want to meet at the moment.

She hadn't noticed him.  
Her head - as always- was buried in a book.

Draco tentatively got onto his broom and took off.  
Instead of heading onto the pitch, he decided to fly around the grounds  
instead.

From high up, it seemed different.  
It was like he was looking down on his life...reflecting on the past few  
weeks.

As he rose higher, he found himself heading towards the forbidden forest.

He flew over it, looking down curiously.  
For once in his life, he just wanted to sit back and take it all in.

He wanted to see the shades of green mixing into shades of brown...discovering  
the shadows creeping over the valley's in the distance, surrounding  
Hogwarts.

And then he felt it.  
That stare.

She could see him, even from way over here.  
She was watching his every move.

He peered down, looking over the grass surrounding him.

For some reason, his eye line lead straight to her.

He was watching her watching him.

It was like a game.  
A competition.

Even from a distance...

Draco flew towards her, slowly.  
He stopped just before he reached the Quidditch pitch.

His broom was hovering slightly.  
But he carried on staring at her.

If he looked away now, then he had lost.  
With the two of them, it had always been a battle of wills.

Hermione hugged her coat closely to her.  
She had spotted him over by the forbidden forest, and was highly curious as  
to what he was up to.

She didn't for the life of her think that he would actually realise that she  
was looking at him.  
But somehow he had...and when he stared back, she felt squeamish.

She was far too stubborn to look away.  
But so was he.

So what was she to do?

If she looked away then he would think that he had some kind of power over  
her...  
But if she kept staring...what then?

As he flew closer to her, Hermione's heart started to race.  
Either she was in big trouble, or she was in a lot of trouble.

And then he stopped.  
Not daring to come any closer.  
Not needing to.

Hazel met metal in a glance...and only one would be victorious.

Draco found himself unable to look away now.  
Her face held so much defiance...but his held more.

This had suddenly gone from a staring contest, and turned into a battle of  
wills...

But what were they battling about?

Draco searched her eyes curiously.  
What was he looking for?

Hermione could see straight through him...and then suddenly she hit a  
barrier that she had never seen before.  
The kind that would not allow anyone inside...

Draco suddenly saw it.  
As plain as day, written on her face.

She was _saddened._ .

Draco broke the gaze instantly, snapping them both out of the little bubble  
they had found themselves in for the past few moments.

She had won.

He regretted it.

But he didn't care...no one had ever looked that closely at him before.

And it scared him.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

It was a day later, and Hermione was still reeling.

She knew Malfoy wouldn't be in the common room all day, because the  
Slytherin's had Sunday morning Quidditch practice.

She was glad he wasn't there...it gave her a chance to forget about  
him...and his eyes.

She was irked by what she had found in them yesterday when he had arrived at  
the Quidditch Pitch.

Harry had asked her if she fancied going and watching him fly around for a  
bit, and she had agreed to go.  
Now she wished she hadn't.  
Because now she felt unsteady.

Malfoy was many things...  
A prick, mainly.

But the one thing that she never expected him to be was_ lost_ ...  
And that was exactly what she had found when she had looked through his cold  
gray orbs.

His arrogance hid so many of his flaws...he was one hell of an actor, if  
that was the case.

No, she really couldn't face him at the moment...  
not with all of these ridiculous thoughts going round in her head.

She was actually starting to feel sorry for him.

SORRY for Draco Malfoy...**Public Dick head Number One.**

Something was screwing up her brain...  
maybe it was her hormones.

Yes, that was it.

With Malfoy's absence, it meant that Hermione had the place to herself.

For most of the day she had been doing some home reading on the progress of  
her 'pregnancy'.  
Apparently, according to _'Madame Cornigifer's Guide to Pregnancy and  
Birth'_ , there were definitely some drastic changes going on in her body;

... _'Your baby's senses are beginning to activate. His skin is sensitive to  
touch, he is beginning to taste, he may respond to some sounds and his  
eyesight continues to develop.  
At the end of the 20th week your baby will be around 7.5 inches from crown  
to rump and weigh 1 pound, and baby's kidney's are now functioning well  
enough that they can make urine.'_ ...

Now it all seemed to be going a little too fast for her.  
The baby could _Hear_ her now?

When Hermione started to feel a little panicky, she decided that she needed  
some kind of reassurance.

So she had invited Luna up for someone to talk to.  
She had also invited Ginny, but she had declined the invitation, saying that  
if she heard one more word about babies then she would vomit.

So it was just Hermione and Luna...  
and the conversation obviously flowed...

"So..." Hermione said awkwardly, sitting on the couch drinking a cup of  
tea. "...how is Seamus doing with everything?"

Luna shrugged. "He's ok, he's gone into Hogsmeade today to buy some teddy  
bears for the crib"

Hermione smiled. "Really? thats sweet of him"

Luna nodded. "I told him I was going to knit the babies quilt cover...so he  
told me he would get me some more wool"

Hermione felt slightly jealous.  
Seamus sounded like he was coping rather well with everything.  
He gave Luna support, and he was doing things spontaneously for the baby.

"He sound's like he will make a great dad" Hermione told her.

Luna looked up and smiled at her.  
"I know. He was telling me yesterday that he wants to order another crib so  
he can have the baby in his dorm one night, and then swap over with me for  
the next night. I thought it was a terribly good idea."

Hermione agreed. "Yes, it sounds like a fabulous idea"

"Of course, it wasn't him who thought it up in the first place though" Luna  
told her matter of factly.

Hermione thought as much.  
Seamus was thoughtful...but she doubted his imagination would stretch that  
far.

"I take it that Neville was probably the one that planted it in his head?"

Luna shook her head.  
"No" She told her. "He told me that he had heard Draco Malfoy telling his  
brown haired friend about it last week"

Hermione had to back track over what Luna had just said.

Was she highly stoned or something?

"Malfoy?!" Hermione spluttered.

Luna nodded.  
"Seamus said he could hear them talking about it on the way to class...and  
he thought it was a brilliant idea"

Hermione was utterly perplexed.  
She was about to open her mouth to speak when the common room door suddenly  
opened.

He stomped through...soaking wet from head to toe.

He stopped in the middle of the room and glared at both girls.  
"Don't say a word"

Hermione looked away with a smirk on her face.

"Have you been swimming?" Luna asked him casually.

Draco looked at her in puzzlement.  
Had she not heard one word that he had just said?

"If you haven't noticed...its storming out there, and I was close to being  
blown off my broom" Malfoy told her matter of factly, taking off his  
Quidditch robe and throwing it over at the couch, where Hermione's feet were  
stationed.

She shrieked and kicked the wet robe off her.  
"You complete and utter prick"

Malfoy shrugged.  
He shook his hair like a wet dog, attempting to get some of the water out of  
it.

When he stopped, his hair was sticking up allover the place.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We were just talking about how good your idea is, Malfoy" Luna told him,  
playing with the butterbeer necklace around her neck.

Malfoy looked strangely at her.  
"What?"

"About you having the baby in your room one night, and Hermione having it in  
hers the next"

Hermione's eyes widened.  
WHY did Luna have to make situations so difficult?

Draco said nothing.  
No one was supposed to have heard him and Blaise talking about that.

Last week, back when he was actually on speaking terms with Zabini, Draco  
and Blaise had been walking to Transfiguration in deep conversation...

** F L A S H B A C K**

_"I'm not sure what to do about this baby situation" Blaise told his friend,  
walking along the corridor._

_Draco shrugged.  
He didn't have a clue either way._

_"I mean...the baby is supposed to stay with the mother...but, what happens  
to us?" He asked. "When the mothers have all the late nights, and we're in  
our own dorms...how are we supposed to get the marks for responsibility when  
we can't actually tend to the kid?"_

_Draco didn't know.  
He didn't know if he should care, either.  
"I'll let Granger deal with the sprog until it's old enough to understand  
what the words; 'shut up' , 'no' and 'get a job' mean..until then, she can  
take the reigns"_

_Blaise looked over at him.  
"So you wouldn't be bothered about the fact that you would score  
** 'null-points'** in that section of the project?"_

_Draco thought for a minute.  
No, that wouldn't do at all.  
Why should Granger take all the credit?_

_"Ok...you have a point..." He admitted. He kept walking at a leisurely pace  
towards his lesson.  
Deep in thought, he didn't even realise that his friend was waiting on an  
answer._

_"Draco?" Blaise asked him impatiently._

_"We'll share" He said matter of factly. "Ill just have to buy another crib"_

_Blaise's eyes widened.  
"Not another one of those god-awful Muggle contraptions??"_

_Draco shook his head quickly.  
"God no!...I think I'd rather see the kid sleep on the floor rather than set  
another one of those bloody things up"_

_Blaise sniggered._

_Draco felt insecure...  
So now he was going to actually look after the sprog, too?_

** E N D F L A S H B A C K**

...Now Draco felt like he was in deep shit.

Hermione looked over at him curiously.

What was with his change of attitude?  
Did he just not want to admit it to her or something?

Maybe that was the case...maybe he just didn't want to say anything to her  
because he was _Malfoy _ ...and Malfoy didn't speak to Hermione unless he  
was arguing with her.

Hermione didn't look into his eyes at all.  
She didn't want to.

Yesterday she had discovered something.

Draco Malfoy had a weakness.

He had something inside of him that he was not willing to let out.  
Something that was set in stone, and he was unwilling to show it to the  
world.

But what right did Hermione have to get a glimpse of it?  
She didn't know him.  
Hell, she bet his friends had no idea either.

But she did.  
And it bothered her.

"I think it's sweet" Luna told them, interrupting both of their trains of  
thought.

Draco's eyebrows shot up at her.

_ 'Sweet?!'_ He thought in protest.

"Kittens are sweet...lesbians kissing are sweet...babies are-" He felt  
Granger's eyes flicker over to him. "-horribly grotesque ugly  
things...forget I said that one"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I think you'll do well with the responsibility" Luna told him honestly. "It  
might make you a nicer person"

Hermione snorted.

Draco glared at her.

"I'm off now" Luna announced, getting up from her chair and walking to the  
door in a dream-like fashion. "I wouldn't want to cause anymore trouble"

Hermione and Draco watched in awe as she shut the door.

Anymore trouble?

Was she serious?!

Hermione hesitated a look over at him.  
"Is it true?"

Draco didn't meet her gaze.  
Instead, he took the padding off his elbows and kneecaps.

Hermione sighed.  
"Because if it was, then at least it would mean that you were finally  
co-operating"

Draco looked at her sharply, tossing the padding onto the empty chair.  
" _Finally _co-operating?" He asked her, sounding agitated.

Did it even strike her that he wasn't being half as harsh on her, than he  
usually was?

Hermione shrugged.  
"Well, you've been less than forthcoming with your support"

"Maybe that's because I don't feel like I need to give you any" He told her  
as he pulled his boots off and tossed them towards the fire, which was  
crackling loudly.

Hermione shook her head in defiance.  
"You have to grow up sometime, Malfoy"

He stood there before her now, in a pair of black combats and a plain black  
t-shirt, still soaked to the bone.  
He looked very un-Malfoy like.

"I have grown up" He told her seriously.

"Then prove it"

"Make me"

Hermione huffed.  
She knew she wasn't getting anywhere with him.  
She never would.

"Just forget it" She told him, pushing herself up from the couch and  
standing up.

Malfoy's eye flickered to her stomach briefly.  
Maybe her school uniform was big on her...because in her slim-line yellow  
t-shirt he could see the little bump protruding from her...

"No" He answered. "I don't have to prove to you that I have grown up...I've  
already proved that to myself"

Hermione looked over at him.  
"What use is that?"

Malfoy didn't need to answer that question.  
Being able to admit something to himself was a much bigger step than  
admitting anything to anyone else.

"I'm ordering the cradle tomorrow" He told her, ignoring her question.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes.  
"If this is going to work, then you have to compromise with me"

Malfoy looked at her strangely.

What was she suggesting here?  
Some sort of accord?

Hermione didn't know what she was saying.  
It was almost as if the words were tripping over of her tongue to be let out  
of her mouth...

"A compromise?" Draco asked her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hermione thought about what she was saying, for a minute.  
After a long pause, she had come to a conclusion.

Maybe one day she would surely regret it...but at the moment, the way things  
were going she knew that they were going to go nowhere unless something was  
done...

"A truce" She said quietly, looking over his facial expression as she  
absorbed the information.

To say he was shocked was an understatement.  
He didn't know Granger had it in her.

It was almost as if she was giving in...admitting that she did indeed need  
his help.

Draco nodded his head slowly in acceptance.

She had a big point.  
If this was going to work, and they were going to do this right, then there  
had to be some kind of barrier that would stop them from going on at  
each other like cat and dog...

And because SHE was the one to break first, well...he had to accept if he  
wanted to be victorious.

"In order for us to get anywhere, we need to be able to be civil to  
each other for at least 25 percent of the day..."

Draco smirked to himself.  
He would try, but with her there were no promises.

"...So, if you want anything...ask me...and the same goes on your end..."

Draco looked at her.  
And he saw something in her face that he had never seen before.

Defeat.

Draco suddenly felt like he was completely and utterly backed into a  
corner.

It was almost as if he had finally realised that there was no way of getting  
away from this...

They _would_ work together...and they _would_ have to help  
each other raise this kid...

"...When the sprog is born, we will take it in turns to do the night  
shift...anything up to that will probably be figured out along the way..."

"Ok, fine" Hermione accepted. "But you have to do some of the other stuff,  
too"

"Like what?" He asked her.

"Feeding, winding, nappy changin-"

"-Hell no!" He exclaimed.

No Malfoy ever got his hands dirty.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
At the minute she would have to make do with what she had.

What surprised her was how calmly he was reacting to the fact that she was  
finally telling him that he would have to help out...if not for them as a  
pair, then him as an individual.

_ 'Maybe he's had this in mind for sometime, and just hasn't voiced his  
opinion...'_

"You can't leave me to do everything, Malfoy"

He looked her over, seeing that she was all business.  
Her shoulders were set back, her stance was formal...and her stomach was  
sticking out.  
Maybe not a lot, but at least he could tell she was pregnant now.

He didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Haven't I just agreed to help you?" He asked her seriously. "I'm sure  
McGonagall will take us through the basics when we're in her lessons..."

"But I need someone to know a little more than the basics" She told him, her  
eyes suddenly glazing over.

Was she going to cry?

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of new at this" He told her. "I  
haven't got any little brothers or sisters to look after, and I'm pretty  
sure that I have no offspring hidden around the world anywhere... so I think  
I can safely say that this is my first _dip_ in the pregnancy pool"

Hermione realised that he didn't have a clue what she was going on about.

"I don't need someone who knows the basics" She told him quietly. "I need  
someone who is going to be a father"

Lead suddenly dropped in Draco's stomach.

She needed someone who was going to be there.  
She needed someone who would take over when it was too much for her.

What had he just got himself into?

Draco thought to himself quietly.

_ 'Could I really be that person...?'_

Feeling the last of his resolve melt away, he took a deep breath.

"Don't tell anyone" Was all he said, before walking away from her and  
walking through the door that led to his dorm room.

Hermione smiled.  
For the first time in weeks, she suddenly felt an invisible weight disappear  
from her shoulders...

She knew that he had succumbed to the inevitable...after trying to fight it  
for weeks.

Instead of planning a plot of revenge...doing something horribly conniving  
to him...getting him back at his own game...

She had done something much better.

She had made him realise.  
And that was sure to make him feel more pain than anything she could ever do  
to him.

She knew that she wouldn't tell a soul.  
They wouldn't believe her even if she did say anything.

She stood there for a few moments, contemplating the situation.

She rubbed her tummy absentmindedly, thinking the conversation over in her  
mind.

She was in for a big change...

But she didn't realise how big the change was going to be...


	11. Chapter 11

**

* * *

Chapter Eleven**

_'How many times have you been pushed around?  
Is anybody there?  
Does anybody care?  
And how many times have your friends let you down?  
Is anybody there?  
Did anybody stare?'_

**WEEK SIX** : _SIXTH MONTH_

... '_Your baby's skin has become opaque (it had been see-through), but it  
is still immature. The retina of the eye continues to form, but that also is  
not mature yet. The circulation to the lungs is forming, and the lungs are  
beginning to develop surfactant (a substance that keeps the lungs from  
sticking to themselves), however the lungs will be one of the last parts of  
your baby to fully mature.  
His body has caught up with his head, and although the head is still large  
compared to an adult, your baby's body and head are in the right proportions  
for a newborn. His brainwaves also resemble those of a full-term newborn. He  
is developing a sleep-wake pattern and may be developing an active time that  
is pretty regular from day to day.  
At the end of the 24th week your baby will be around 10 inches from crown to  
rump and weigh 2 pounds._ ...

Hermione's eyed widened in shock.  
Every time, she seemed to discover something fascinating about her child.

She wasn't the only one reading up.  
Looking around at her fellow pupils in their 'Life Lessons' Class, she saw  
them all captivated by the baby books that McGonagall had given them.

Harry seemed to be getting on a little better with Millicent.  
Maybe it was because he _had_ to...or maybe it was because he  
_wanted_ to.  
Either way, it was awfully mature of him.

On the other side of the class room, two things had caught her attention;

1. Pansy had Neville down at her feet, giving her disgusting feet a  
massage...

2. Ron and Parvati were practically having sex with their eyes.

It was disgusting.

"Thats disgusting" Malfoy said, sitting partially next to her.

At least he wasn't jutting into the middle of the walk-way now, anyway.

She was about to agree with him, as she seemed to think he was talking about  
the two scenes that she was looking at from across the room.

But when she glanced over at him, she nearly choked.

He was actually reading the book McGonagall had given him.

His head was bent over it, and his hands were perched on either side of his  
face as he read.

"Are they trying to tell me that my sprog was see-through at one stage?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
It seemed like he had missed a lot, considering he hardly ever paid attention  
in class.

But she didn't like the way he said; _'My sprog'_... it was almost as  
if he was taking the lead role already.  
Like he was planning on taking over their child and molding it into another  
form of himself...

Hermione shuddered.

Over her dead body.

"If you would have got down off your box, and actually came and asked me or  
the Professor, we could have told you what was going on"

Draco shuddered.  
"This information isn't something that a lad needs to know..." He told her,  
skimming through the pages absentmindedly. "Whatever goes on inside a  
woman's body is their own business..."

He then took a closer look at the page he had stopped on.

"What's after birth?"

Hermione snorted.

She couldn't wait for him to find out about _that_ little surprise.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione had decided to take a walk with Harry.

When he had asked her whether she felt like taking a stroll up the hills on  
their break, she knew that it would be a good time to catch up on everything  
that she seemed to be missing.

"-and she's not too bad, really. She's really quite brainy, but I guess she  
doesn't like to show it when she's with her Slytherin mates..." Harry told  
her as they walked up a small gravel lane.

The wind had picked up now that it was October.  
The trees were losing their leaves, allowing them to fall to the ground and  
be carried off by the wind.

"I'm glad your getting on with her" She told him with a smile, tightening  
her scarf around her.

Harry looked down at her. "And how is everything going with i _shit  
face_ ?"

Hermione laughed.

But she wasn't sure how she was supposed to answer that question.

How i was everything going with her and i _shit face_ ?

She decided to be honest.

"I don't know"

"Why?" Harry asked her curiously.

She shrugged.  
"He's accepted it, I think..." She told her friend. "...but I don't know if  
he's liking the idea or not"

Harry laughed.  
"I don't think any of us are really liking the idea" He nudged her  
playfully. "But I see where you're coming from"

"He's Malfoy" She stated, as if she had given him the answer.

Harry knew what she was talking about.  
"He's an arrogant twat, but at the end of the day, if he's making any kind  
of attempt then I guess it's a step in the right direction"

Hermione knew he was right.  
Malfoy was doing a lot better than he was a few weeks ago.

At least he was attempting to work with her.

On Tuesday, after everyone had been in the great Hall having dinner,  
Hermione had walked back to her head of year Common room to relax by the  
fire...

**F L A S H B A C K**

_Hermione closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the burning embers  
within the fire.  
There was nothing like feeling the warmth of a fire when the weather was so  
blisteringly cold outside._

_She faintly heard the door open behind her._

_His door._

_She groaned inwardly, thinking he was going to say something sarcastic to  
her._

_Instead, he was silent._

_She couldn't see where he was, because her eyes were closed.  
But she knew he was close._

_"Oi, half-wit" He said rather loudly._

_He knew she wasn't asleep._

_Hermione opened one eye and looked directly above her.  
She jumped when she found him looming over her._

_"What now?" She asked him, pushing herself up to lean on her elbows._

_Malfoy moved out of her eye sight;_

_Hermione's breath caught in her throat. _

_There...directly behind him..._

_**'It's beautiful...'** _

_"I ordered it the other day" He told her matter of factly, running his hand  
through his blond hair. "It came this morning"_

_Hermione looked at the moses basket in amazement._

_The wooden frame...the white silken material that covered the basket...the  
creme coloured silken quilt with the moving image of two little floppy-eared  
rabbits cuddling up together..._

_"I thought you would find it adequate" He said with a smirk._

_Hermione got off from the couch and walked around it.  
It had to be one of the most beautifully simple things that she had ever  
seen._

_She looked at him curiously.  
"Did you pick this yourself?"_

_Draco snorted.  
"Oh, please" He told her with a smirk on his face. "Do you really think I  
would have chosen something as frilly as that?"_

_Hermione should have guessed._

_"It was the most expensive one they had" He added._

_Hermione rolled her eyes._

_Well, at least he actually went through with what he said he was going to do._

_She peered inside, to find a little gray teddy bear with patches allover  
it...and it had a blue nose._

_"Oh!" She exclaimed happily. **"Me to You Bears!"** _

_Draco shook his head.  
Only a woman could get excited about a bloody cuddly toy._

_"This must have cost you a lot" She told him sternly._

_Draco shrugged.  
"Would you rather the sprog slept on the floor?"_

_Hermione had to agree with him there._

**E ND F L A S H B A CK**

...Since then, Hermione couldn't tell whether she was coming or going with  
the bloody Slytherin.

Harry was looking at her curiously.  
She was a strong girl, and she could face everything that came her way.

But with Malfoy, Harry couldn't help but feel that she was way out of her  
depth.

Malfoy was a nobhead at the best of times...but what happened when he wasn't  
being one?

How would Hermione react when Malfoy was actually helping her out?  
She wouldn't be used to it, that was for sure.

"Is Millicent getting really big, now?" She asked him, trying to take him  
out of his thoughts.

Harry smiled.  
"Yeah...she keeps complaining about backache, though" He told his friend  
humorously. "...And now I keep thinking I'm getting sympathy pains..."

Hermione laughed.  
"Awwwwww..._ Sympathy Pains..._ "

Harry smirked at her.

"_Harry and Millie, sitting in a tree...K - I - S - S - I - N - G -_  
ahhhhhhhhhhh!" She screamed as Harry gave chase, running after her all the  
way back to the school.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Oh my god!"

Hermione couldn't believe it.

_'OH MY GOD!'_

There, in the middle of the Common room...

A baby bath...  
Baby toys...  
A baby changing bay...  
An array of baby-friendly hygiene products...  
Bottles...

Tiny baby grows...

She hadn't expected this first thing in the morning.

She had got up to get herself ready for her school day, and was about to run  
down her stairs and straight out of her door...when she spotted the huge  
pile of baby accessories in the middle of the room.

She picked up one of the little baby bibs; fingering the yellow flannel  
material softly.

Everyday it became more and more real...  
And she knew it would be happening soon.

She heard Malfoy's door open.  
And then heard him groan at the sight before him.

"You haven't been doing any midnight shopping, have you?" He asked her  
sarcastically, looking around at the clutter at his feet.

Hermione ignored his comment.  
"I guess the professors think it's about time we were given our reality  
check"

Draco looked at her.

For some reason, he had never noticed it before.  
But she seemed to be glowing.  
Her hair looked healthier...shinier...

_'Bushier'_ He thought with a smirk.

Nah, her hair had been controlled back in fifth year.  
Yes, it was still curly.  
But it wasn't the untamable bush that it used to be.

"It looks like organised chaos in here" He told her, still looking around.  
"How much stuff does a baby need!"

Hermione smirked.  
Obviously Malfoy was in for a big surprise when the baby actually arrived.

"I think I should probably put some of this stuff in my room" She told him,  
picking up a few of the baby grows on the floor.

"Why are they all whites and yellows?" Malfoy asked her curiously, looking  
at the objects in her hands.

She noticed that he had picked up one of the baby bottles.

"Because white and yellow are both indifferent colours" She told him,  
smiling happily as she looked at the tiny little clothes she had in her  
hand.

Someday soon, her baby would be wearing them...  
Hermione felt a pleasant jolt shoot through her.

"Why would they give you indifferent colours?" His voice came again.

This time, she saw that he was sat on one of the large chairs, still  
inspecting the little bottle; the fluffy white clouded pattern moving  
around on it.

"So the baby can wear it, no matter if it's a boy or a girl"

Draco's head suddenly shot up.  
He looked into her eyes.

That was when both of them realised.

With all that had been going on...all the arguing, the fighting...the  
arrogance.

They didn't even realise that through all of this; soon they would be the  
parents of a little boy or girl.

Hermione hadn't even contemplated it.  
She called it an 'it'...or even just 'baby'...

Draco knew the thought hadn't even entered his mind.  
He never wanted it to.  
Then it would make it all the more real...

But now...

But now, the thought of a son sent slightly unwanted tingles down his spine.

Someone who looked like him...his hair, his eyes...

Hermione searched his eyes.  
She saw that barrier in the way again...

But she noticed something different.

That icy stare...  
For a moment, it was replaced by a simmering warmth that Hermione had never  
seen before.

And she knew that he was thinking about it.  
For the first time since all this began, he was actually letting it sink in  
and devour him...

And he liked it.

Draco snapped out of his trance.  
He got up from the chair and put the bottle down on the floor.

Hermione watched his movements.  
Obviously he didn't like things getting the better of him.

He maneuvered his way around the room, minding the obstacles in his way.  
When he got to the same side as Hermione, looked at her for a moment.

Then he did something he had never done before.

He gave her a small smile.

It didn't last long.  
It was gone before it had appeared.  
But she had seen it all the same.

"I'll bet you ten galleons that it's a boy" He told her.

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, holding out her hand gingerly.

He inspected her hand for a moment, almost as if he was half expecting her  
to have some sort of hidden device up her sleeve that would send a shock  
through him as soon as he took it.

Malfoy slowly wound his hand around hers.

They stared at each other intently.

"You're on" She told him, a smirk playing on her lips.


	12. Chapter 12

**

* * *

Chapter Twelve**

_'There is so much a man can tell you,  
So much he can say.  
You remain;  
My power,  
my pleasure,  
my pain.  
Baby ...  
To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.  
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby? '_

**WEEK SEVEN** : _SEVENTH MONTH_

... '_Your baby is growing fast, and space is getting tight. He may wiggle  
if he gets uncomfortable. As he becomes more oriented in space, he may move  
to a head down position.  
Your baby can see, although the view from the uterus looks mostly like a  
dull glow when it is bright and just black when it is dark. Even this little  
difference in lightness helps him begin to adjust to the day and night cycle  
where he lives.  
He can also hear, although most sounds are muffled. He is already becoming  
accustomed to mommy and daddy's voices.  
He can also taste, although the flavors of the amniotic fluid are subtle.  
His lungs are preparing for breathing, and his movements give his muscles  
exercise. There is tremendous brain and nervous system growth taking place  
this month. His bone marrow is now fully responsible for making his blood,  
and he passes about 1 pint of urine every day. The fat developing under his  
skin helps to smooth out the wrinkles as it gives him energy stores for the  
first few days of life.  
At the end of the 28th week your baby will be around 11 inches from crown to  
rump and weigh 3 pounds.' _...

Hermione lay on her bed, feeling very uncomfortable.

For the past week, all she could do was look down in awe.  
She was getting so big!

She hadn't really paid too much attention; just getting on with it, as she  
was more concerned about other aspects of her life ...

But now.

It had just crept up on her.  
She hadn't realised how much the baby had grown, until yesterday when Harry  
had pointed it out to her with a huge smile.

Now she couldn't help but stroke it.  
It was as if she was nursing it somehow.

Suddenly, almost as if the baby could sense that there was someone there...  
She felt a flutter in her stomach.

Her eyes widened.

_'The little shit kicked me!'_

She laughed to herself.  
So it _was _actually alive in there!

She wanted to shout to someone.  
Tell them what had happened.

But found no one there for her to tell.  
All cooped up in her room, with nowhere to go on a miserable Wednesday  
evening...she could have done some of her homework, but for once in her  
life...she couldn't be bothered.

Now she had something much more exciting to do.  
She had felt her baby kick for the first time.

McGonagall had told the class that between 18 - 28 weeks of a normal  
pregnancy, the baby would usually start to kick.  
Hermione was terrified, thinking that she would be caught off guard when the  
baby would kick her in the gut.

She thought it would hurt...  
but it didn't.

It felt nice.  
Almost like it was trying to communicate with her.

Hermione decided she had to see her friends.  
She struggled off her bed and went to her door. When it was shut behind her,  
she made her way up the stone steps which lead her to the Gryffindor common  
room.

She opened the side door with a creek, peering around for anyone in her  
eyesight.

She wasn't planning on seeing the scene before her.

_They_ were hugging each other happily.

Hermione tried not to sneer when she walked through the common room, tapping  
Harry on the shoulder so he knew she was there.

He turned around; startled.  
But he smiled when he saw who it was.

"HERMIONE!"

Harry hugged her.

Hermione looked around the room, to see the students buzzing around  
happily...something was going on...

"What's everyone so happy about?" She asked Harry, still keeping her eye on  
Ron and Parvati, who were still held in their happy embrace.

Harry looked at her.  
"Have you not heard?"

She shook her head.  
Did everyone forget that she didn't live in the tower anymore?

"It's Ron and Parvati" Harry told her, pointing at them and smiling brightly.

"They're having twins"

Hermione's stomach took an unsuspected turn.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Oh, what a stereotype.

Just because he was a snarky, egotistical, arrogant twat...it didn't mean  
that he had no heart.

His heart - albeit as small as it was - seemed to be in full working order,  
lately.

Especially when it came to Quidditch.  
Oh, how it raced.

It seemed to be working overtime lately.  
Every now and again; against his better judgment, Draco had fleeting  
thoughts about the baby.

_'It's only a sprog, it's only a sprog...it's only a bloody sprog!'_ He  
had chanted to himself, trying to rid the thoughts away.

He wasn't ready for all the mushy thoughts and feelings that he knew were  
irking him.  
He didn't want to become attached to something that would only be there for  
his remaining last few months at Hogwarts.

He knew it would be inevitable.  
But right now, he didn't really want to think about it.

Draco walked the corridors of the third floor, his proud walk attracting the  
stares of a few of the Ravenclaw girls.

_'Dammit...I'm so sexy...'_ He thought to himself with a grin.

A Ravenclaw girl with long brown hair turned to her friend.  
"Is that the Slytherin that won't take his responsibilities seriously?"  
She whispered.

Draco's ears pricked up.

He stopped walking and turned around, looking at the girl curiously.

" _Repeate, S'il vous plait_ ?" He asked her sarcastically, his eyes  
holding hers with an icy stare.

She gave him a snotty look.  
"You're leaving your partner to do all of the work on her own" She told him  
matter of factly, crossing her arms over her chest.

A few other students from different houses had turned to look at the  
conversation.

Draco scoffed.  
"I'll have you know, I've done more than my fair share in our partnership"

"Only because you have to" She told him. "We've heard all about it"

Draco looked around at the little crowd gathered around them.  
"What exactly have you heard?" He asked her accusingly.

"That you've told her that you won't help her with the baby when it's born.  
You've told her you want nothing to do with it, and that she can take care  
of the child all by herself"

Draco stared coldly at her.

How come it sounded so much cruller when it came from someone else's mouth?

And anyway, it wasn't as if he wasn't helping...in fact, he planned to do  
whatever he could to bring the sprog up in the _right _way...none of  
that Muggle rubbish.

"Who told you this?"

The girl shrugged, turning her nose up at him.  
"It's been going through the grape-vine for a while..."

"I think it's horrible" One girl with black, bobbed hair piped in. "No girl  
should suffer alone through pregnancy."

Draco looked at her, feeling the need to leave the conversation.

"I know" Piped in another girl from the crowed. "At the end of the day, it  
takes two to tango...lads need to face responsibility, too"

Soon, many accusations were thrown at him.  
All from women.

Draco felt like he was trapped in some kind of 'woman power' protest...

As the crowed became bigger, and more and more girls were joining in the  
argument, Draco did the only thing that he could do...

He ran.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione stood in front of her mirror, holding one of the many baby grows to  
her stomach adoringly.

She turned to the side and looked upon her size.  
She was so much bigger than she actually thought.

And now her breasts were increasing, too.

Had she gained weight?

She didn't really care; she was far too absorbed in the feel of her baby  
kicking her again.

It just served the purpose in making all this seem so real.

After she had heard about Ron and Parvati, Hermione had come straight back  
to her room again.  
They looked so happy.

Too happy.

Hermione was seething.  
Any other couple would be completely and utterly furious that the professors  
had actually allowed this to happen...

But not them.

And the happier they were, the more Hermione's heart sank.

She knew she would never have Ron now.

Hermione pulled the Pink Kaftan back over her head.  
She had taken it off to look at her protruding stomach.

She suddenly heard the door slam in the Common Room.

Honestly.  
Couldn't he go one day without the over dramatics?

"GRANGER?!" He shouted.

Hermione sighed. "WHAT?!" She shouted back down at him.

"GET YOUR OVER-SIZED ASS DOWN HERE NOW!"

Hermione ignored him.  
No one talked to her like that and actually got a reaction out of her.

"No" She stated simply. "Say _'please'_, and I might think about it"

She went to her door, to find him standing at the bottom of her stairs.

He glared at her.  
Hadn't he said that word once to her already?

Hermione was adamant that she was staying where she was.

Draco was adamant that he wasn't even going to give her the one word she  
wanted.

Instead;

"Would you do me the honour of gracing me with your _not-so-wanted_  
presence?" He asked her, a smirk playing on his lips.

He knew his way with words, she would give him that.  
But she wanted respect, dammit.

"Say it like you mean it" She told him, folding her arms over her chest,  
making her stomach look bigger.

Draco stared at her for a minute.  
She really was getting huge.

She swore she could hear him growling, low in his throat.  
What was with his animal antics?

Draco closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.  
"Just get down here... _Her-my-oh-nee..."_

Hermione watched him as the alien name slipped from his tongue.

She didn't like it.  
It was too personal.

Only her friends called her that name.

Slowly, she descended the stairs.

She looked like a duck...waddling her backside behind her.

Malfoy chuckled under his breath.

Hermione nudged past him and walked into the common room.

She turned around and faced him, looking irritated.  
"Well?" She asked him. "And don't tell me you have brought me down here for  
no reason...you have no idea how hard it's getting for me to walk up and  
down those bloody stairs"

She half expected him to comeback with a sarcastic comment.

Instead, he did something she would have _never_ expected in her life.

He linked her arm in his and dragged her through the common room door.

Hermione was perplexed as they walked along the corridor in a hurry.  
Something was really wrong with Malfoy.

He was actually _touching _her...

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked him with a hiss in her voice, as  
they turned a corner and walked along another corridor filled with students.

"Play along" He told her, his voice also hissing.

She could tell he was forcing himself into doing this.

Hermione got the feeling that all was not well in the land of Malfoy.  
For some reason, he was getting glares from many of the girls he was  
passing...

Maybe it was because he was gripping Hermione by the arm like his life  
depended on it.

Maybe they were jealous of her...

_'That'll be the day'_ Hermione thought to herself with a smirk.

Malfoy found that familiar brown hair in the distance.  
With determination, he walked faster.  
Hermione was almost jogging to keep up with him.

As he approached the brown haired Ravenclaw, Malfoy slowed down his pace,  
and loosened his grip on Granger's arm.

And then he did the unthinkable.

He put his arm around her.

"Are you out of your mind?" Hermione asked him sternly, looking at the arm  
around her like it was an insect.  
She stiffened in his embrace, and was about to struggle out of it -

"You know, Granger" He told her, his voice overly loud and full of fake  
cheer. "When this baby is born, I think I'll have to buy it a few toys to  
play with..."

Hermione looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"Like what?" She asked him. "A grenade?" Her facial expression showing her  
uncertainty of where he was going with the conversation.

She noticed his eyes were set on something.  
She looked in the direction he was staring in, and found Felicity Crumbmore  
staring back at him angrily.

What was he playing at?

"Yeah " He answered her. "And I'll buy it a broom, and it can practice  
flying on it-"

"It's hardly going to grow past four years old, Malfoy" She told him.

He glared at her for a moment, before the look was replaced by one that she  
had never seen before.

Adoration.

_Fake_ adoration...but it scared her all the same.

She knew he was off his rocker.  
And he was definitely up to something.

"Hey, Hermione" Felicity said, stopping both her and Malfoy in their tracks.

"Hi" She said timidly, unable to move under Malfoy's arm.

It was highly irritating.

Felicity turned to Malfoy and glared.  
"What are you trying to prove, now?"

Malfoy smiled.  
"That we are a unified front." He told her. "The last thing I would want  
would be for you ladies to get the wrong impression of me.."

Hermione scoffed.  
"Oh please" She said, humour in her voice. "I got the wrong impression the  
moment I saw you...and I'm sticking with it"

Malfoy shook his head.  
She was supposed to be playing along.

He needed her to at least pretend that they were getting along a little bit.  
He wasn't going to be glared at and tormented by a gaggle of girls for the  
rest of his days at Hogwarts...

It felt as if he had stepped into a lesbian convention, and he was the only  
one with a penis.

"I hope your ok with him, Hermione" Felicity told her. "I mean, you're strong  
and everything...but I doubt you could cope with a baby on your own"

Hermione frowned.  
She could cope with a baby on her own.

"What are you getting at?" She asked Felicity, looking from her, and then  
back to Malfoy.

"Well...your a smart girl and everything...but you wouldn't be smart enough  
to look after a baby all by yourself"

Hermione scowled.  
Who the hell was she to tell her what she could and couldn't do?

Malfoy smirked.  
Well, at least the heat was off him, now.

"I could cope quite well, now that you mention it" Hermione said stiffly.  
"But it just so happens that Malfoy and I have decided that we should  
attempt to do it all together..."

Felicity stared at Hermione.  
Was it just her imagination, or was the Head Girl glaring at her?

"No one will ever tell me what I can and cannot do" Hermione continued. "Not  
you, not Malfoy, not anybody"

Felicity's face set to stone.  
"Well if you can't face criticism, then your not a very mature person, are  
you?"

Malfoy's smirk grew into a smile.  
This was almost interesting.

"A mature person will make do with what they have" Hermione told her. "And  
if I happen to have Malfoy, then I guess I will have to make do with him"

"Oi" He said, prodding her with his free hand.

Hermione glared at him.

Then she looked back at Felicity.  
"That said" She continued. "Both Malfoy and myself are both very capable of  
going it alone...but our _mature _decision to do it together was the  
better idea of the two..."

Malfoy wanted to laugh.  
He knew she was talking complete and utter bullocks...but at the end of the  
day, she was doing exactly what he had brought her out here to do.

Defend him without even realising it.

Save him from being a tortured soul to a gaggle of angry, and highly  
hormonal girls.

Yeah, he didn't want anyone to know about their little 'truce'...but if he  
was going to get in more shit for people _not _knowing that he was  
getting on with it, then he might as well let it all out...

Let people know that Draco Malfoy was finally going absolutely bonkers.

But purely for the grades, of course.

"So he's finally deciding to help you, then?" The girl asked Hermione,  
looking Draco up and down scornfully.

Hermione looked the girl dead in the eyes.

"He's been helping me all along" She looked up at Malfoy pointedly, who had  
now taken his arm from around her shoulder. "He just never wanted to admit  
it to anyone"

Draco looked at her curiously.  
Was this her way of defending him?

Was she actually _lying _for him?  
Or was she doing it for herself?

"Well, good luck with that" Felicity told her spitefully.

"Thank you" Hermione told her, using the same tone of voice.

Both girls turned away from each other and marched down the corridor.  
Malfoy was being dragged by the cuff of his sleeve.

"Don't ever make me defend you like that, ever again" She told him angrily.

"I didn't ask you to" He told her, trying to keep up with her pace.

Hermione glanced at him from over her shoulder.  
"And normally I wouldn't, but when someone insults my life, I have to  
protect my decisions"

"And your telling me that _I'm _a decision?" He asked her, coming to a  
halt when they got to the door of their common rooms.

"Yes" She told him. "And _I _am a decision that you made"

They both walked into the Common room.

"How so?" He asked her curiously.

Obviously she was taking this far more seriously than he first anticipated  
she would.

"I made the decision to involve you in my life this way, the same as you  
have done with me" She answered him. "We both decided to take the moral  
ground and do the mature thing...this road we have both decided to go down"

Malfoy understood where she was coming from.

It was all about pride.

"So, if I had to protect the path I chose, that meant that I had to protect  
you as well"

He looked at her, searching her face for a moment.

Then he smirked.  
"And you got me out of a whole lot of shit along the way"

Hermione raised her eyebrows.  
"That was unintentional"

"Fair enough" He answered, taking a seat on the couch.

Hermione went to walk back up into her dorm room when she felt it again.

"Ouch...oh, you little shit!"

Draco looked over at her, thinking she was talking to him.

When she had her back to him however, he looked at her curiously.

"Granger...you do know that talking to yourself is the second sign of  
madness?"

She looked round at him.  
"I wasn't talking to myself" She told him. "I was talking to the baby"

Draco chuckled.  
"That's the first sign of madness"

Hermione glared at him.  
"The little shit kicked me" She continued. "Its been doing it all day, but  
that was a big one"

She could see the puzzlement in his eyes.

"How the hell can it kick you?" He asked her, his voice mocking her as if  
the very conversation itself was complete and utter bullocks.

"It moves inside me, Malfoy" She told him, rolling her eyes.

His eyebrows shot up.  
What the hell?

She walked over to him, her hand pushing into her stomach. She could still  
feel it fluttering slightly.

Malfoy backed away, his back hitting the arm of the couch.  
unsure of what she was going to do.

"Don't come any closer...you freak"

Hermione laughed.  
"Your a dick" She told him.

"I knew it wasn't human" Malfoy told her, looking at her stomach as he was  
by his head, near the couch.

"All babies move inside their mothers, Malfoy...even you did at one point"

"I did not" He told her indignantly.

She wasn't going to argue with him.

"Suit yourself" She told him with a sigh. "I was going to let you see for  
yourself, but obviously your not _mature_ enough to understand yet..."

Malfoy's eyes snapped up to hers.

She knew he hated being goaded.

"Not mature enough, am I?" He asked her.

He glanced at her stomach, wondering if he could actually see it  
moving...seeing is believing, after all.

"I don't think you are" She told him defiantly. "If you were, you would just  
accept what was happening and just go with it"

He was still staring at her stomach.  
It was the first time he had ever properly looked.

Somewhere inside there, was a part of him.

His hand was on top of the couch, close to where her stomach was residing  
behind the back of it.

Hermione glanced down at his hand.  
Would he dare?

"What if I don't want to just _'go with it'_ ?" He asked her, his eyes  
still looking at the bump...

His DNA was residing in there...

His hand unconsciously moved a little closer.

"Then you're not ready for any of this" She told him simply, watching as his  
hand moved, oh so slowly, towards her stomach.

It began to flutter a little more.  
From nerves, or from the baby, she wasn't quite sure.

This was the most bizarre predicament she had ever found herself in.

There she was;  
Standing there behind the couch, watching the hand of a boy she loathed as  
it made its way towards her pregnant belly.

Did she want him to touch it?

**Yes;** it would show him something else that he didn't know about  
babies...call it an education lesson, if you will.

**No;** for some reason, she felt some sort of emotion descending on  
her...

She felt his finger tips graze the fabric of her Kaftan.

She looked down.

His hand rose higher...skimming the material...daring to add that little bit  
more pressure...

She looked up at him.

He was staring at it.  
Mesmerized.

Malfoy wasn't too sure what he was doing.

He felt this powerful urge to reach out and touch...discover for himself  
what this baby business was really all about...

Did he want to touch it?

**Yes** Nothing like that was likely to ever happen to him again...it  
was an education lesson, per say.

**No;** There was some sort of emotion forcing its way into his  
heart...it was vaguely familiar to him...

Hermione felt his palm press against her stomach slowly, testing the waters.

Neither looked at each other.

They didn't need to.

This wasn't about them.  
This was about the creation inside of her.

Malfoy felt the swell of her stomach, hating himself for liking the way it  
was hard, yet soft at the same time.

Hermione gave an involuntary shiver when she felt the full pressure of his  
hand upon her stomach.  
She looked at it..timidly exploring the bump.

Draco knew what that feeling was that had been trying to get at him.

He smirked to himself.

_'Hello, Happiness...'_

"I'm ready for this" He said quietly, almost at a whisper.

Neither of them still looking at each other, they finally accepted what was  
happening between them;

Life.


	13. Chapter 13

**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen**

_ 'If I had just one tear running you cheek,  
maybe I could cope,  
Maybe I could get some sleep.  
If I had just one moment at your expense,  
then maybe my misery would be well spent.'_

** WEEK EIGHT** : _EIGHTH MONTH_

"Control your breathing"

"I'm trying!"

"Ouch!"

"That was for touching me!"

Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for Neville.  
She knew she had drew one of the short straws when she had been paired with  
Malfoy...but it appeared that Neville had drawn the other one.

She stared in front of her, where she saw the whole of her class doing the  
same as her.  
Sitting in the middle of the floor, breathing in and out.

She felt as big as a house...and the thought of only having one week left  
was frightening her every time she thought about it.

She didn't feel prepared enough to go through any of this.

This was their first and last i anti-natal /i class.  
Professor McGonagall had said that it would be a double lesson so she could  
fit everything in.

When Hermione asked her why they hadn't had one before, the Professor simply  
explained that because the pregnancy only lasted two months, and the actual  
labour would last for approximately one to two hours, that the girls would  
only need to know the basics.

When Hermione asked _ why_ again; McGonagall had said that the teachers  
felt that they did not want to put the girls into too much danger or  
complication, and so the birthing process WOULD be as painful as a real  
birth...but would not be as long.

Well, that was always a good sign.  
At least she wouldn't be in pain for as long as she had thought she would be.

To say that the lesson was painful was an understatement...many of the girls  
had now gone into denial...

According to Millicent; the baby was just going to stay there and not come  
out of her.

"I don't see what the big deal is" Draco had piped up, among seeing the  
classroom empty of desks when he had finally entered the room; his  
classmates sitting down on the cold floor. "All she has to do is push, and  
_pop _, the baby shoots out"

"You try shoving something the size of a watermelon, out of something the  
size of a can ring" Parvati had shouted back at him.

She had been a little uptight lately.  
Maybe it was because the idea of twins had finally sunk in...and it wasn't  
the happy little miracle she thought it would be.

"Take a seat, Mr.Malfoy"

Draco looked around the classroom until he spotted Granger.  
He didn't even kick up a fuss anymore, since he had been sitting next to her  
for the past two months anyway.

She sat there on the floor, looking like a beached whale.  
Well...that's what he wanted to tell her, but she probably would have killed  
him.

Instead, he put his bag and cloak at the back of the classroom, and then sat  
down next to her.  
She turned to him and gave him a stern look.

"Why are you always late?"

"Why are you always early?"

She caught him grinning at her.  
She couldn't help but smirk back.

It was uncomfortable at first...  
but since that day he had felt the baby inside of her, she had noticed those  
little changes...  
Subtle; barely-there changes...but they were noticed all the same.

And now they were getting on a little better than what they had done  
previously.  
He didn't glare at her as much, and he certainly tried not to call her all  
of the horrible names she was used to.

His sarcasm was something he would never be rid of...but she knew that  
without his sarcasm, then he wouldn't be the Malfoy she loved to hate.

"Okay boys, get behind your partners" McGonagall instructed.

Draco looked at her, absolutely baffled.  
"Are you suggesting what I think your suggesting?" He asked mockingly.  
"Because if your suggesting what I think your suggesting, then you should  
definitely suggest something else because the thing you are suggesting is  
not something that should have been suggested"

The class looked over at him as he spoke.  
Obviously gibberish had entered into his vocabulary.

Hermione shook her head.  
"Trust you to think about sex at a time like this"

She heard him snigger.  
"It's just the way my brain happens to work"

Hermione watched as the boys shifted their positions, and sat on the floor  
behind their partners, with their legs open...ready for their female  
counterparts to lean back against them.

Hermione went stiff.

There was no way on god's green Earth that she was doing tha-

"Mr.Malfoy, Miss.Granger?" McGonagall asked them.  
The whole class looked round at them.

Hermione's cheeks began to flame.

"Over my dead body" She heard Malfoy say from beside her.

"And I'll be using his dead body as a shield..." She answered, crossing her  
arms and becoming more defiant than him.

McGonagall had anticipated this problem.  
But how were they supposed to learn when they couldn't even help each other?

She heard Malfoy sigh.  
Then she felt him move.

Shocked was not a word that could describe how Hermione felt when she found  
Malfoy's legs suddenly encasing her in the middle of the floor...but she  
didn't feel anger, either.

What the hell had made him do it?  
Usually he would just sit there and be out of the loop in the lesson.  
And now...here he was, participating and doing what the Professor had asked  
of him.

Malfoy could feel everyone staring at him.  
What was he supposed to do?  
Kick up a fuss until the Professor took house points from him and made him  
lose marks on their project?

That was the first thing that sprang to mind.  
The second thing however, was probably the best one to go with.

You see;  
No one would expect Draco to play along with it...do as the teacher was  
asking of him...so that was exactly what he planned on doing.

That way, he was sure that him and Granger would be viewed as a unified  
partnership.  
AND he would get extra points for even participating.

So there he sat.  
His chest quite close to Granger's back...  
Her fuzzy hair threatening to choke him.

"Okay..." Began the Professor, still eying Draco wearily. "How do you know if  
you are about to go into labour?"

A few hands shot up into the air.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

There were three Anti-Natal classes built into the one;

_ 1. First stage of labour - covering how do you know you are in labour,  
when to go to the hospital, what to do etc.  
All the first-time mums squirmed as they talked about perineal massage,  
enemas, massage, hot baths and so on._

_2. Second and third stages of labour - covering all the what ifs of  
Caesarians, forceps, ventuose and so on. This really was the painful part of  
the class - talking about pain relief and techniques and the joys of each  
method. Talk by one of the Health Visitors about what to expect with a  
newborn. This one was this weeks treasure. I'll come back to it._

** And then finally;**

_3. Breastfeeding - But this class ended up being postponed as soon as  
Seamus asked whether the lads could give it a go, too._

As the class departed, Hermione was left feeling completely bewildered.

What had just happened?

They did some breathing exercises...and Malfoy was getting praised for  
_Helping_ Hermione by _'showing'_ her how to do it!

AND THEN McGonagall showed the boys how to give the girls a simple, yet  
effective massage to help calm them down during their labour...

Hermione could still remember it; ...

** F L A S H B A C K**

_"Now, just lean back into your Partners chest, and let him put his hands  
gently onto your shoulders-"_

_"-OUCH!" Pansy shouted again. "Longbottom, I SWEAR I am going to throttle  
your windpipes in a minute!"_

_"-I said '**gently' ** Mr. Longbottom" McGonagall told him, seeing Pansy's  
discomfort. "I didn't tell you to try and dislocate her shoulder"_

_But from the look on Neville's face, it was plain to see that that was  
exactly what he had attempted to do._

_Hermione leaned back slowly.  
Anxiously waiting for Malfoy's usual bark of disapprovement..._

_But none came._

_Then she felt her back come in contact with his chest.  
Tentatively at first...she leaned in a little more, testing the waters._

_She never realised he was muscular.  
Not a beef cake...but there was definitely something there._

_** 'Hermione!'** She scolded herself. **'Don't even begin to contemplate  
on what lies beneath Malfoy's shirt...that's just disgusting'** _

_But it didn't feel disgusting.  
If felt new.  
She had never been in this sort of position before._

_Taking a deep breath, she relaxed fully against his frame.  
She could feel him tensing beneath her.  
She didn't dare to turn around and look him in the eyes...she was likely to  
get the glare of death or something..._

_She jumped when she felt his fingertips brush her hair away from her neck.  
The sensation was completely new to her._

_He placed her hair so it slightly overflowed on her left shoulder.  
Then she felt the palms of his hands on the nape of her neck._

_She felt his finger tips rise until they were on both sides of her neck, and  
she felt a tickling sensation when he kneaded the skin between his thumb and  
forefinger._

_Hermione instinctively closed her eyes.  
Whether she was supposed to or not, she really couldn't help it._

_Who knew that a boy with such a jaded outer shell could be so soft centered?_

_And why was she so relaxed about it all?  
This was Malfoy...not two weeks ago, they were at each other throats._

_This time back then, it was most likely that either he or she would have  
told the professor that they intended to take no part in **this ** part of  
the Class..._

_So what had changed since then?  
She knew that since he had felt the bump up close and personal, that he  
seemed to have changed his attitude towards her slightly...but she had never  
quite imagined Malfoy to be like this._

_** Willing** to take part in their classes, almost as if he had been doing  
it all along..._

_Did she not expect enough from him?  
Did she under estimate him in some way?_

_Was he finally coming to terms with the fact that this was how it had to be  
for the rest of the year?_

_Was she finally coming to terms with the fact that Malfoy was going to be  
there every step of the way?  
In all honesty, she didn't know._

_But she honestly didn't think she would have minded if he did._

_Call it a turn of events, hormones or whatever...but if Malfoy was going to  
continue to be this casual and willing to help, then she wouldn't have  
minded at all._

_It could have been worse.  
It could have been Neville. _

_Malfoy peered down at the bump.  
He wanted to touch it again._

_It was almost a week ago since he had realised exactly what this thing was  
all about...and now he wanted more of it.  
He wanted to reach out and place his hands on her stomach...he wanted to  
interact with that tiny life inside of her._

_Malfoy felt her relax against him.  
Her full body weight was now being supported by him._

_And to his utter amazement;  
He didn't dislike it._

_He liked the feel of knowing she was depending on him to keep her  
there...keep her and the baby where they were._

_And so he kept kneading the skin between his fingers absentmindedly.  
He looked around briefly to see that many of the other lads were doing the  
same thing._

_Only it looked like it came natural to them.  
And it certainly didn't come natural to him._

_And yet...it b felt /b natural..._

_ **'Maybe Granger's bloody pheromones are getting to me, too...'** he  
thought to himself._

_He looked over her shoulder slightly to see that she had her eyes closed.  
There was a content look on her face; he had never seen her look so relaxed  
in his presence before._

_This irked him a little._

_Was he loosing his edge?_

_Slowly, he leaned his head down to her ear.  
"Enjoying this, are you?" He asked her, feeling her jump when his breath met  
her ear._

_Hermione kept her eyes closed.  
"No, it's bloody awful"_

_Malfoy chuckled.  
Just the reaction he had expected._

_Never in a million years did he even think he would be sat here with Granger  
in between his legs whilst giving her a damn good massage..._

_** 'They might as well cart me off to the loony bin, now...'** He thought  
to himself as he heard Granger let out a sigh._

_Hermione realised just how relaxed she was.  
She had actually SIGHED!_

_How embarrassing!  
And yet...Malfoy didn't even flinch.  
He just kept going...maybe he didn't hear it._

_"Very good" Came McGonagall's voice in her ears, somewhere in the distance.  
"It looks as if you have gotten the hang of that..."_

_Malfoy removed his hands slowly.  
"Did I get the hang of it, Granger?" He asked her, his mouth close to her  
ear again._

_Hermione; her eyes still closed with a content expression on her face,  
shook her head.  
"Not even close"_

_Malfoy smirked to himself._

_That had definitely got to her._

** E N D F L A S H B A C K**

...It was now 11.45am ... and her appointment with Madame Pomfrey was at  
11.50am.

Hermione walked from the class, leaving Malfoy lagging behind somewhere.

She had been preparing to walk into the Hospital wing, when a hand reached  
out and grabbed her arm from behind her.

Hermione whirled around quickly, putting her free arm over her stomach,  
instantly wanting to protect it.

"Easy, Granger" Came his voice.

Hermione looked up at him and glared.  
"You scared the shit out of me!"

"Easy now" He told her mockingly. "Watch your stress levels...We don't want  
your water breaking now, do we?"

Hermione huffed and carried on walking.  
Then she turned around to face him again.

He was following her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Following you" He answered her simply.

"Why?" She asked him, folding her arms over her chest.

He shrugged.  
"McGonagall told me to"

Hermione put her arms down by her side.  
"Oh"

For a moment, she had thought that he was just doing it to annoy her...  
but he actually had a reason, after all.

As she turned around and began walking again, Malfoy walked in step with  
her, all the way up to Madame Promfrey's wing.

When they walked through the entrance doors, they saw a few of the other  
girls lying down on their beds happily, talking with each other excitedly.

"I don't see what they're so happy about" He said, whispering into her ear.  
"This time next week, they'll be lying on those beds, begging for any drug  
Pomfrey can give them that isn't illegal"

"You have such a rosy outlook on the whole birthing prospect, Malfoy"  
Hermione told him, cheerfully.

"Yeah well...I'm not the one that will be going through it, am I?"

Hermione gave him a look.  
As if she needed to be reminded about exactly what would be going on when  
she's giving birth...just thinking about it was giving her the wiggins.

"Miss Granger" Madame Pomfrey shouted, walking towards her with a clipboard.  
"So it's your turn this time, I take it?"

Hermione nodded nervously.  
Malfoy gave her an inquisitive look.

This was her first time.  
Because the pregnancy only lasted two months, Dumbledore had insisted that  
the girl's would only need one Ultrasound, to make sure that the baby  
was safe.

She had planned on having the scan sooner, but apparently the teachers  
wanted to wait until the girls were blooming, and the babies were already  
close to being birthed.

She had no idea why.  
Maybe it was so they could see the baby in its almost entire form...  
maybe it made it easier for them to check everything was in order.

"I take it this is your other half?" Madame Pomfrey asked her, looking  
sharply at Draco.

Draco wanted to glare, but thought better of it.

"Come this way" She told Hermione.

Draco followed the two women, wondering exactly what the hell was going on.

When Granger had left the classroom, McGonagall had told him that he had  
better go, too...  
Draco didn't complain, considering it was getting him out of his lesson...  
But now that he was here...

"Lie down on the bed" The medi-witch told Hermione.

Draco watched as Granger lay on the bed, and lifted up her school shirt.

His eyes widened.  
There it was...in all its glory...his child.

Granger was talking about something or other with the medi-witch...it wasn't  
important.  
Draco couldn't take his eyes off her stomach.  
The bulge was bigger than he remembered from the last time he had touched  
it.  
But then again, he hadn't felt Granger's skin on his bare hands...it had  
been an innocent touch through the feel of her fabric.

"This will feel a little cold" Promfrey told Hermione, spreading a thin  
layer of what looked like lubrication gel allover her stomach.

Draco wrinkled his nose.  
"That's disgusting"

"Well, it has to be done I am afraid" Madame Pomfrey told him.

"What will I be able to see?" Hermione asked her expectantly. "It's not like  
the Ultrasounds that Muggles have, is it?"

Madame Pomfrey shook her head.  
"God no" She said with a smile. "Us wizards and witches were using those way  
back in the stone age. We are far more advanced than that, now"

Hermione smiled to herself.  
She chanced a glance over at Malfoy, to see him standing there with his  
hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do with himself.

"Don't you want to see it?" She asked him from the bed.

He looked at her, puzzlement etching his featured.  
"Don't I want to see what?"

Hermione frowned.  
Wasn't this the reason that he was come with her?

"McGonagall-

" _Professor _ McGonagall" Madame Pomfrey repeated sternly, the blue  
sparks now flying out of her wand suddenly being absorbed by Hermione's  
stomach.

"_Professor McGonagall_-" She began again, looking at the medi-witch. " - sent  
you here so you could see it with me, didn't she?"

"See what?"

Suddenly there was a flash of light.  
Out of nowhere, a large, thin screen of white plastic had appeared on the  
left hand side of Granger's bed.  
It was like one of those Muggle projector screens...

Something was beating.

"Oh my god..." Granger said in a whisper, looking in awe at the screen.

Malfoy could still hear the beating.  
Pummeling his ear drums...heightening his instincts.

Fast...slow...fast...slow...all at the same time.

He slowly took a few steps, to see what she was looking at.

"It seems all in order...It's healthy" Madame Pomfrey said with a smile,  
looking at the picture on the plastic screen.

Malfoy took a few more steps...coming to stop at the end of Granger's bed.

He looked at the screen curiously.  
Something was moving inside of it...

It had arms...it had legs...it had a pair of gigantic, big blue eyes...

He looked over at Granger.  
He could see tears prickling her eyes.

He felt something tug at his heart.

He looked at the image on the screen again, this time seeing it more  
clearly.

Those little arms looked as if they were reaching out for  
something...searching for something in the darkness that it could only sense  
was there...

The baby was reaching out for them.  
For its mother and father...

At that moment, Draco had never felt an emotion like it.

A tidal wave of adoration, like he had never felt before.

Something actually needed him...  
Something was actually craving his attention.

"Do you want to know the sex?" madame Pomfrey asked the two pupils.

He felt Granger's eyes on him.  
He looked down at her, a small smile playing on his lips.

"What do you think?" She asked quietly, seeing that warmth again in his icy  
orbs.

Malfoy thought a moment.

What did he think?

"I think thats _our _ baby" He told her simply.

And yes,  
He did realise that he had said it.


	14. Chapter 14

**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen**

_ 'We used to think it was impossible,  
Now you call me by my new last name.  
Memories seem like so long ago,  
Time always kills the pain.'_

** WEEK NINE** : _NINE MONTHS_

"You're the one that said you didn't want to know"

"Well, if I'd of known that it would cause this much of a fuss, then I would  
have said yes!"

"It's not a fuss...its just a bloody name, Granger"

Hermione sat on the couch in the Common Room.  
She was not best pleased.

Three days ago, they had both seen their baby for the first time...and since  
then, Malfoy had don't nothing except bloody pester her about their decision  
to NOT know the sex of the baby.

HE wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, whereas she wanted it to be a  
surprise.

Needless to say; she won.  
But only because they argued for so long that Madam Pomfrey actually chucked  
them out of the Hospital Wing!

She knew he only wanted to know so he could gloat.  
He wanted to win their silly little bet, and prove her wrong...again.

He had been doing that a lot lately.  
Proving her wrong.

She thought he was a complete and utter twat...and then he turns around with  
a change of attitude towards their child...and now he was sitting there,  
looking for baby names!

So now here they sat, on a dreary early November Friday night...arguing  
again.

Malfoy was flicking through the book of baby names that had been delivered  
yesterday.  
And apparently, he wouldn't pick anything that didn't sound right with his  
second name.

"I don't know what makes you think that it's going to take your second name"  
She told him matter of factly, writing in her jotter about her day.

Draco scoffed.  
Of course it was going to have his second name...was she thick or something?

Draco had tried so hard for so long to fight the feelings that seemed to be  
pummeling into him.  
But after seeing his baby on that screen...he couldn't hide it anymore.

He suddenly understood what it was all about.  
Why all the other lad's were looking so excited...

The thought of bringing a child into the world...someone who looked like  
you, looked up to you...loved you.

"There's no way that _Ichabod_ is even entering this name thing"

Draco looked up, her voice pulling him from his thoughts.  
"What?"

She was peering over at the book he was looking at on the table.

"Ichabod" She repeated. "Its ghastly"

"So is Desdeminia...but you seemed to think it was absolutely gorgeous" He  
smirked at her.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.  
"You know very well that I like Lily"

Malfoy rolled his eyes.  
"Look...i wouldn't call a girl _Gerald _, so don't expect me to call a  
boy _Lily _."

Hermione sighed.  
They were getting nowhere.

He kept looking at horrible old fashioned names, whereas she went for the  
more up to date and modern names.

She looked at her watch absentmindedly, rubbing her belly with her other  
hand.

She was only a few days away now.  
She leaned over and got her reference book from the little coffee table that  
their books were placed on by the couch.

She opened the pages and looked for the right month;

... _' Your baby is practically ready to be born. A few last details to give  
him a great start in the world beyond your womb and he's on his way.  
In this ninth month, your baby's biggest job is to continue to put on  
weight. He needs this extra weight to supply his energy demands during the  
first few days while he is waiting for your milk to come in. He is also  
working getting his lungs fully mature.  
His downy hairs are being shed, and the vernix is wearing off his skin. The  
more languor hair and vernix a baby has at birth, the younger his gestational  
age. He may have long nails that need to be clipped right away. His eyes do  
have color, but it may change within the next six months.  
His immune system is still immature, so he is receiving antibodies through  
the placenta, and after he is born he will get antibodies through your  
colostrum and milk.  
At the end of the 38th week your baby will be around 14-15 inches from crown  
to rump and weigh about 6-8 pounds.'_ ...

Hermione snapped the book shut.  
For some reason, she didn't really like to think as far as the baby being  
born...

Because that would mean that she would have to give birth.  
And there was no way that she was ready for that.

She shook the thought from her mind.  
When the time came, it came.  
And it wasn't just her going through it all...everyone else was as well.

She hoisted herself up from the couch, trying with all her might to keep her  
modesty in tact.  
But it was useless.  
She looked like a fish floundering around with no water...she hated feeling  
like a beached whale.

She looked over at Malfoy.  
He was smirking at her.

"I'd like to see you keep your modesty when your carrying eight pounds of  
weight that doesn't belong to you"

Malfoy raised his eyes at her.  
"And I'd like to see you run naked through a field of grenades...but we  
can't all have what we want, can we?"

She was going to retort...but she didn't need to.

His eyes told her exactly what he meant by that statement.

He was kidding with her.

She just rolled her eyes at him, a slight smirk playing on her own lips.

She began packing her stuff away.

"Where are you going?" He asked her curiously.

"I'm going to see Harry and Ron" She told him, suddenly feeling very hot.  
"Is it just me or is it absolutely stifling in here?"

Draco looked puzzled at her change of conversation.  
"Well...I can make a girl grow hot just by being in the same room as  
her..."

Hermione glared at him.

"What are you going to see Potty and Weasle for, anyway?"

Hermione started fanning herself, feeling flushed.  
She needed to feel the cold air.

"They're moving into their make-shift apartments today with their  
significant others" She told him, before taking the hem of her jumper and  
hoisting it up over her head.

Malfoy's eyes went wide.

He knew she had a vest top on underneath...but that didn't help the fact  
that he saw the size of her breasts...if anything, it made them look bigger.

"Jesus, Granger" He said, startling her. "When did they grow?"

Hermione looked at his eyes, which were slightly south from where they  
should have been.  
She looked down in the direction his gaze.

And then she blushed.

She kept forgetting that there was a reason for why she kept wearing baggy  
jumpers.

"About the same time as your ego" She told him simply, looking in the mirror  
behind the couch. She looked at the state of her hair...disheveled.

He was either insane, or completely and utterly in trouble.  
For some reason, completely unknown to him...she looked almost attractive to  
him at that moment in time.

She was flushed, her hair was a mess...and she looked absolutely ravishing.

_'BAD THOUGHTS!'_ Draco mentally slapped himself.

It was probably the fact that he hadn't had sex in two months...the strain  
was taking its toll on him, and now he was getting desperate and decided to  
look at Granger.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he got up from the couch himself and  
started putting his own books away.  
She looked at him curiously.

"Where are you going?" She asked him.

He smiled comically at her.  
"I'm coming with you"

Hermione folded her arms over her chest.  
"Are you stalking me, now?"

Draco chuckled.  
"Yeah, thats exactly what I'm doing"

Hermione sighed.  
"Fine, but keep your nose out of my friends business"

"I'm not going to see your friends" He told her. "I'm going to see mine"

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Wow, its really big!"

"It makes me feel like I'm moving into my first home" Harry told her  
happily.

Millicent was busy in her room, putting some of her personal belonging in  
there.

Dumbledore had informed the other Seventh Year students that due to their  
circumstances, that it would be highly inconvenient or them to stay in their  
own Common rooms, if their other halves were from different houses.

So he did something that none them had expected.  
He had turned the Fifth floor of the Castle into a series of small  
apartments where the classrooms would have been.

It reminded Hermione of the living situations that University students would  
have in England when they were living on Campus at their respective  
Colleges.

The rooms were huge, with three bedrooms and a sort-of living room, much  
like the one that her and Malfoy had in their head of year living quarters.

"We've put the babies room in the middle of ours" Harry told her, taking her  
hand and pulling her towards it.

Just as they were about to enter, the front door of Harry's apartment burst  
open, with a flurry of cursing and shouting coming from the students who had  
just entered.

"You're so wrong!"

"I'M WRONG! If you weren't so pig headed, then I wouldn't be shouting at  
you!"

"Harry, tell her!"

Ron was red with anger.

Hermione smirked to herself.  
So his little predicament was finally taking its toll?

Harry held up his hands innocently.  
"Don't involve me, thank you very much" He told the pair. "The last time you  
two involved me in one of your petty little arguments, I ended up with a  
fork stuck behind my ear from Parvati's dodgey aim!"

Parvati sat down on his couch with a huff.  
"I can barely move as it is, and he has me running around after his bloody  
pet owl!"

"He would have escaped!"

Parvati scowled at him.  
"I wish he would have!"

Harry shook his head.

He saw Millicent come from her bedroom, an angry look on her face.  
Then she saw Ron and Parvati, and her anger increased even further.

"Every time I see them, they're arguing" She told Harry.

"She's probably got double the hormones of a pregnant woman" Harry mused.  
"What with her having twins and everything"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She had managed to keep her own hormones in check.  
Under the circumstances, she had done pretty damn good, too!

"If you two have quite finished" Millicent shouted. "Would you kindly leave  
us, please?"

Ron rolled his eyes before taking Parvati's arm and wrestling her to stand  
up.  
He didn't know he had the strength in him.

"See you later, Harry" He looked over at Hermione and smiled.

She blushed.

"Bye, Hermione"

She smiled at him.

"Oh no" Said Parvati angrily as Ron made his way out of the door. "You did  
_not_ just look at Hermione in _that_ way!"

When the door shut behind them, everyone left inside the room breathed a  
sigh of relief.

In _what _way had Ron just looked at her?

"How've you been, 'Mione?" Harry asked her, motioning for her to take a  
seat.

She shrugged.  
"I've been ok I suppose"

"And Malfoy?"

For once, she knew how to answer that question.  
"Pretty good"

Harry looked startled, obviously not expecting that answer from her.

Millicent looked over at her and smirked.  
"So he's finally got his head out of his arse and decided to take some  
responsibility?"

Hermione smiled at her and nodded.

She had never really made conversation with Millicent before.  
She never felt the need to.

But Harry seemed to think she was ok...

"Tell me everything" Harry asked her with a smile on his face.  
Obviously hearing these new turn of events was too good to be true.

This was going to be one long story.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Your doing it all wrong"

"You just told me to do it like this"

Pansy shot him a look of utter loathing.  
He couldn't even give a good massage!

"Longbottom, you might as well prod her with a knife and fork for all the  
good your doing" Blaise told him with a laugh.

Pansy glared at him.

Draco smirked at the scene before him.

He actually felt sorry for Longbottom.  
Pansy was a hell hound 99percent of the time...but she seemed to be putting out  
all the stops to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

"So I take it your speaking to me again, now"

Draco looked over at Blaise.  
He smirked.

Blaise smirked back.

They nodded in understanding.

Blaise didn't need to ask if Draco was getting along better with Granger or  
not...he could tell by the way he was sitting there...

Call it contentment?  
He wasn't too sure, but there was definitely some kind of change to him.

Blaise had told him that she wasn't bad once you got past the fact that she  
was a Mudblood...but he supposed that Draco was just too arrogant to want to  
listen to what he had to say.

But now he had obviously seen it for himself.

"Where's Lavender?" Draco asked him, looking around at the apartment.

Blaise shrugged.  
He couldn't of cared less.  
"I think she's gone to that Patil's flat...her and Weasley have had some kind  
of argument"

Draco thought as much.  
He'd seen them lately...she was too on edge.

Not like Granger.

A fleeting image of the girl in question suddenly came up in his mind.  
That vest top that seemed to hug to her curves...that messy hair that was  
dying to be tamed by his hand.

_ 'What have I told you about thinking like that?!'_

Why was he thinking like that?  
He felt no attraction to Granger..apart from the fact that she had something  
precious inside of her...

Yes, that was it.  
She was attractive to him because she was pregnant...all glowing and content  
looking...

When the baby finally popped out of her, he wouldn't feel like this.  
He would have no attached emotions to her because there would be nothing  
inside of her for him to be attached to.

"How are you and that Mudblood doing, Draco?" Came Pansy's voice in his  
ears...purring at him seductively.

Draco shook the thoughts out of his mind.

He looked up at her and shrugged.  
"I don't know...it depends on how I feel when I see her"

"I bet she gets on your nerves" She said absentmindedly, still getting a  
massage from Neville, whose face was growing angry.

Maybe Pansy had forgotten that Neville was a friend of Granger's.

_ 'Not like you do...no...'_ Draco thought. "Yeah..all the time" He  
lied.

What did it come to when he actually preferred the presence of Granger,  
rather than his own house mates?  
What was his world coming to?

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"HARRY!"

Harry turned around on the couch, to see Ron standing in his doorway again.

Millicent looked at him angrily.  
"I thought I told you to get out?"

Ron ignored her. Obviously they weren't keen on each other very much.  
"It's Parvati!"

Harry got up off the couch suddenly, the girls struggling to do the same.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, hurriedly. "Is she ok?"

Ron's face paled.

He looked at the other two girls.

They read his face like a book.

"Her water broke"

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione watched the scene before her unfold like a story book.

There Harry and Ron were, holding onto both of Parvati's arms as she  
struggled down the stairs.

She was shouting obscenities at Ron all the way down.

Halfway down the stairs, Hermione remembered that she should get her  
pregnancy book, just in case something else happened along the way, before  
they could get to the Hospital Wing.

"You lot go ahead" She shouted, turning the corner as they got to the bottom  
of the stairs, and started to walk down it.

"Where are you going?" Ron shouted at her.

"To get my book" She shouted back, before disappearing around another  
corner.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

To say Draco was perplexed was an understatement.

He was in complete and utter shock.

Upon Lavender arriving in the apartment that she shared with Blaise, she was  
not in there for more than two minutes before she started to feel pain...

And then water gushed out of her unmentionables!

But it didn't stop there...  
Not two minutes later, PANSY was doing the same!

The boys were flapping around like headless chickens, shitting themselves  
because they didn't know what to do.

Draco ran out into the hall, looking for someone who might be able to  
help...  
When he saw a rush of boys and girls, panicking and running around in the  
same manner that Draco and the other lads had been.

He did ponder on what the hell was going on...

And then it dawned on him.

_ It_ was happening.

He ran back into Zabini's apartment hurriedly.  
"They're all at it!" He told him.

Zabini held Lavender by the arm and lead her to the door, Neville attempting  
to do the same to Pansy (even though she was cursing him for touching her).  
They lead the girls down the hallway, Draco following behind them; suddenly  
finding it highly hilarious.

Then he thought on.

_ 'Granger...'_

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione finally got to her Common Room, heading over for the book she was  
supposed to be picking up.

_ 'Ouch'_ She thought.

The baby was kicking her hard.

Then she felt it again.  
Only this time, she felt something trickling down her leg.

She looked down.

Here eyes widened.

_ 'Oh no...Please, not now...'_

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Granger?!"

Nothing.

She was nowhere to be seen.

He had asked which room was Potter's, and had almost banged the door down.  
But there was no answer.  
They must have left for the Hospital Wing already.

Draco took off at a sprinter's pace, not caring that he was barging into  
people as he trampled his way down the stairs.

His breath was coming short, and his legs were starting to feel like jelly,  
but he had to keep running.

He was not going to miss this.

After running through corridors; with the thought of Granger all alone and  
giving birth soundly in his mind, he finally saw the Hospital Wing in the  
distance, and his speed sped up.

He barged through the doors, heaving as he did so.

He looked around hurriedly, trying to see her fuzzy head in one of the beds.

He saw no one.

But he did see Potter.  
He was holding Millicent's hand.

_ 'Eugh...'_

Harry caught a glimpse of a disheveled Malfoy from the corner of his eye,  
and looked over at him curiously.

He wasn't with Hermione.

Draco caught his gaze.

Harry thought he saw something there for a moment...  
Only fleeting, because as soon as he had saw it, Malfoy had regained his icy  
composure.

But if Harry wasn't mistaken...  
He saw fear in Malfoy's eyes.

"She went to your common room to look for a book" Harry shouted over at him.

Malfoy nodded to him curtly, and then took off again, out of the Hospital.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione had made her way down half of the corridor outside of her Common  
room, and then had to stop because of the crippling pain.

She knew she needed to make it to the Hospital...

Why did the professors not tell them i when /i they would be delivering?

Now she was alone...

She thought that Parvati was just a one off.  
She didn't expect herself to be delivering today, as well.

She tried to walk a few more meters, before she gave up and slumped onto the  
floor.  
She doubled up and held her swollen belly tight, willing the pain to go  
away.

She screamed when she felt white hot pain shoot right through her...she felt  
like she was dying.

"GRANGER?!"

She knew that voice.

She had never felt more relieved to hear that voice.

"GRANGER!"

He was closer to her now.

She felt him kneel down next to her...looking at her with a mixture of  
emotions in his eyes.

She looked up at him.  
Her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's coming" She told him, still crippled on the floor.

Malfoy felt sorry for her.  
No one deserved to go through this.

_ 'Natural, my ass'_ He thought, looking over the pain on her face.

"Can you walk?" He asked her.

She held out her hand to him, and he took it quickly.

He pulled her up to him, keeping her close in case she decided to fall back  
and hurt herself.

She took a few steps, but then doubled back over in pain.

He hated the way she screamed.  
So much pain and tension there.

He decided to take action.

He did the only thing he could think of to get her to her destination.

"Hold still" He told her, before taking her in his arms and picking her up.

She looked up at him as he carried her.

Why would he do this for her?

He kept his eyes on his destination.  
He couldn't look at her.  
He would probably regret his actions later, but for now he was doing what he  
had to do.

Hermione lay her head on his shoulder as he carried her, her body fitting  
snuggly against him.

She just needed the pain to go away...

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Malfoy practically ran with her into the Hospital Wing.

He looked around quickly for a bed to put her in.

He found one at the opposite end of the room...right next to Pansy.

Madame Pomfrey came over as soon as Draco had put Hermione down onto the  
bed.

"I take it you have been feeling your contractions for as long as the other  
girls?"

Hermione nodded, her face grimaced in pain.  
"I thought it would take longer for me to feel them every few minutes?"

Madame Pomfrey looked flustered.  
"That would only occur in the natural birthing process, dear"

Draco looked at her quizzically.  
"What does that mean?"

"It means" Pomfrey said sternly. "That it is likely that half of these  
children will be born within the next hour"

Draco looked around him in a panic.  
That was a hell of a lot of screaming.

Then he saw other medi-witches and wizards, all scrambled around the beds...  
Obviously Madame Pomfrey was unable to cope with this many students giving  
birth at once.

"It hurts" Hermione moaned, biting down on her lower lip.

Draco took the seat next to her bed.  
"Look on the bright side" He told her. "An hours pain; for eight months  
worth of a pain in the ass"

Hermione looked at him with her tiring eyes.  
"Do you mean you, or the baby?"

He gave her a small smile.  
"Both"

She laughed.  
And the screamed.

He didn't like it.  
Seeing someone in pain...it never agreed with him.

Next door to them, Pansy was sat there with Neville...squeezing his fingers  
until they had turned blue.

He was so glad he wasn't her partner.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Miss Granger" Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "I really need you to push for  
me..."

Draco was almost willing her to do it.  
"Come on, Granger" He told her, still sitting by her bed. "Where's that  
bloody Gryffindor fighting spirit?"

Hermione was still screaming in pain.  
"I can't do it" She kept saying, over and over again.

The pain was excruciating.  
For the past hour, she had felt the contractions becoming stronger and  
stronger...closer and closer...until there was only this left.

She didn't think she could do it.  
She was far too tired, and she just didn't have the will power.

She kept her eyes closed, trying to block everything out.

"Miss Granger!" Pomfrey shouted, pulling her legs open to check on the girls  
progress below. "You MUST push!"

"But I CAN'T!"

Draco unconsciously drew himself closer to her.  
"You can" He told her defiantly.

She opened her eyes and looked at him.

That familiar lead dropped into his stomach.

He felt for her.

"It hurts too much" She told him, crying.

He looked over at the medi-witch, who was watching their conversation avidly.

"How far has she got to go?" He asked her.

The medi-witch took another look.  
"The babie's head will be crowning...another couple of big pushes, and we'll  
have the baby out"

Draco nodded.

Then he did something that he promised himself whilst sitting there that he  
wouldn't.  
He took her hand slowly in his, feeling the smoothness of her fingers, his  
thumb rolling over the soft skin in between her own thumb and forefinger.

She kept looking at him.

He smiled at her.  
"We'll do this together " He told her.

She looked at him for a moment.  
She liked the way her hand felt in his.

It was wrong, and she knew it.  
But she didn't care.  
Because at that moment, she felt like she could do it.

She nodded slowly.

The medi-witch took that as her cue.  
"Right then, come on Miss Granger!"

Draco kept his eyes on her.  
"One...two...three..."

She squeezed his hand tight, screaming when she felt the pain shoot through  
her again.

"Another one!" The medi-witch told her, looking down to see the baby's head  
crowning.

Draco squeezed her hand.  
"Come on, Granger...you can do it again"

Hermione drew all of her strength, squeezing Malfoy's hand again as she  
pushed.

"OUCH!" He screamed along with her.

He was going to have no fingers left.

"Nearly there!" Madame Pomfrey shouted, getting excited. "The baby is nearly  
out!"

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at Malfoy.  
He looked back at her.

He leaned in, close to her ear.  
"Your nearly there, Granger...one more push...you can do it..."

He heard her sob slightly; he knew she was scared.

But then he felt that familiar squeeze of his hand...and he knew she had done  
it.

Hermione felt the last push go right through her.  
She had used all of her strength, and then let her head fall back on the  
pillow when she felt movement from where the medi-witch was stationed.

There was a deafening silence.

Draco looked at Madame Pomfrey anxiously.

It was far too quiet.

Did Granger still have one more push to go?

...but he could see the medi-witch fumbling with something...

And then he heard it.

A single cry.

He instinctively looked down at Granger, who was still holding his hand.  
Her eyes were closed, but there was a joyous smile upon her face.

Draco looked over at Madame Pomfrey, who was smiling widely.

Then she held something up.

Pink.

Pink and bloody.

And it had one hell of a voice box on it.

"Congratulations" She said, coming over to Hermione's side and handing her a  
tiny bundle in her arms.

"You have a beautiful baby girl"

Malfoy looked down at her timidly, not sure what he was wanting to find down  
there.

She was tiny.

Her eyes were closed, and she already had small damp, dark hairs on her  
head.

Draco leaned in instinctively.

Something inside of him finally snapped.  
The last of his resolve had broken, and he knew he couldn't pretend anymore.  
This was something that he would remember for the rest of his life...and he  
couldn't have shared it with a more deserving person.

This was _their _ baby...  
And they would give it a bloody good go to succeed in whatever the next few  
months threw at them.

Hermione was captivated.

Her tiny fingers, and her tiny toes.  
Her pink tummy, and the way she wriggled about her in arms...

Hermione hesitated a glance at Malfoy.

He looked back at her.

A wide smile spread across their faces.

"Welcome to the family" He whispered, leaning over his little bundle of joy,  
hesitantly picking up one of her tiny hands and placing a small kiss on it.

Hermione laughed.  
"Our unconventional family"

Malfoy shrugged, still smiling beside himself.  
"It's still a family, Granger"

She smiled at him.  
"You owe me ten galleons"

He laughed happily.  
He hadn't even thought about it.  
He didn't need to, because he didn't care anymore.

She was beautiful, and he wouldn't have changed her for the world.

She looked back down, feeling so many emotions for this tiny person now  
lying in her arms.  
"Baby Malfoy" She said, kissing her forehead.

Malfoy shook his head.

"Nah, she's a Granger through and through"

Hermione looked up at him strangely.  
"Why do you say that?" She asked him.

"Have you not heard the lungs on her?"

Hermione looked back at her baby again.  
"Baby _Granger _ "

And for some reason;  
Malfoy knew it sounded right.


	15. Chapter 15

**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen**

_ 'Listen to your heart,  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart,  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where your going,  
and I don't know why.  
But listen to your heart,  
before you tell him goodbye'_

He sat there for what seemed like hours.

Staring.

Nothing going through his mind.

Just staring.

Granger had been sleeping for the past four hours.  
She deserved it after what she had just been through.

He was going to leave her and get some sleep himself.  
But his legs would not allow him to move from his chair.

And so here he sat.

Staring.

She was inside a tiny incubator, sleeping like her mother was.

Her tiny hands crunched into little fists, covered by the fabric of her  
babygrow.  
Her legs wriggled slightly in her sleep.

After Madame Pomfrey had taken the baby away to get her cleaned up, Draco  
had stayed by Granger's side to keep her company.

She didn't last long before her eyelids fluttered closed.  
And she had been that way ever since.

Pomfrey brought the baby back fifteen minutes later.  
And she was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

Dressed in a white baby grow; hardly fitting her properly because she was so  
small.  
Her hair was no longer matted.  
It was now slightly fluffed up from being washed and dried softly with a  
towel.

And she had that new baby smell.

The medi-witch had placed her in the little incubator, and then wheeled it  
over to Draco's side so that he could look at her whilst he sat there.

And he had been looking at her ever since.

Nothing seemed to matter anymore.  
Only this.

Such a tiny person, and yet he found so many huge emotions being directed  
towards her.  
He couldn't describe it.

Draco stood up slowly and peered over the incubator, getting a better look  
at his daughter.

She definitely had Granger's hair.  
She didn't have a lot of it, and the hair that she did have was a dark brown  
colour, with the tiniest hint of curl...but she had it, none the less.

She had a cute little button nose, no bigger than his little finger nail.

_ 'Adorable...'_ ...Not a word that usually entered his vocabulary...but  
it did, and he thought of so many other words to describe her that could fit  
how perfect she looked to him.

_ 'But she's not real...'_ ...but at the moment, that didn't matter to  
him.

She was here now.  
That was real.

He saw her move her tiny hands up to rub her eyes in her sleep.  
The babygrow covered both her hands and feet, protecting her from harming  
herself with her fingernails if she decided to touch her face.

Draco couldn't help but feel all kinds of rushing emotions come to him when  
he saw her eyes flutter open momentarily.  
Only fleeting...and it was the first time he had seen those beautiful baby  
blues... it was a moment that he would never forget for as long as he lived.

He was supposed to feel uncomfortable about these feelings that were  
cascading down on him...  
But instead, he embraced them.  
He welcomed them with open arms.

Draco heard someone stirring from their sleep.

He looked behind him at the other bed, to see Pansy sitting there, rubbing  
her eyes sleepily.

She took a minute to register her surroundings.  
She looked at him momentarily...and then looked at the incubator on her  
right hand side.

"Oh no" She moaned. "It's here...I'd forgotten about that"

Draco smirked at her.  
He knew she would never be the motherly type.  
She was far too up her own arse for that.

"Where's Longbottom?" She asked him, looking around the Hospital wing at all  
the other beds.

Draco shrugged.  
He hadn't seen him in a while.

Draco peered around at the other girls, lying in their beds.  
Some of them were sleeping...and some of them were feeding.

Draco looked back down at his child, still seeing her sleeping peacefully.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours" Pansy told him, trying to get a  
glimpse of his baby from the bed she was occupying.

Draco turned and smirked at her.  
"What did you have?"

"A boy, I think"

_ 'She thinks?!...what kind of Mother is she?'_

"What did you have?"

Draco smiled fondly, beside himself.  
"A little girl"

He didn't want to pick her up.  
His hands were itching from the need to hold her, but he didn't want to  
disturb her beautiful sleeping state.

Instead, he rolled the incubator to Pansy's bed and let her have a look at  
his little gem.

She stared for a minute, looking from Draco to the baby.  
Then she looked away, sticking her nose up into the air indignantly.

"She's alright, I suppose"

He knew that was Pansy's way of telling him she was beautiful.  
She never did like showing her approval when she found something nice.

Draco looked over into the baby lying in her incubator.

_ 'Jesus!'_ He thought, looking at the child strangely. _'Someone has  
a concord for a nose!' _

Or maybe he just didn't think that any child could look as beautiful as his  
own.

"He's er...he's nice" Draco lied.

The poor baby had definitely got the pick of bad genes.

"Malfoy?" Came a sleepy voice from behind him.

He looked over quickly, to see Granger stirring from her sleep.

He nodded his goodbye to Pansy, and then wheeled the baby back to the  
Hospital bed.

Hermione felt like shit.  
She felt worse than shit.

She felt like she had been ran over by a triple-decker bus.

When she opened her eyes, she saw no one.  
She didn't think this was unusual, until everything sank into her  
sleep-frazzled brain...  
She shouldn't be alone.  
She should have a baby next to her.

She could hear voices from the next bed, and suddenly a tidal wave of relief  
washed over her.

Malfoy was still there.

She called to him, wanting to at least see one remotely familiar face.  
And to her surprise, he was at her side almost instantly.

Draco sat down next to her, wheeling the incubator closer to the bed.  
"How are you feeling?" He asked her with a grin on his lips.

She just looked at him tiredly, knowing he was going to ask that question.  
"I'm brilliant"

"She's still sleeping" Malfoy told her, looking back over at the baby.

Hermione nodded.  
"How long ago did you get here?"

Malfoy didn't quite know what to say.  
He decided that he didn't want to look at her at the moment.

He felt a rush of embarrassment fill him.  
Draco Malfoy did not get embarrassed.

"Just now" He lied.

Why should he tell her that he had been by her side all this time?  
That was not information that she really needed to know.

Hermione sat up in her bed, looking around at all the other new mums in  
their beds.  
She noticed Luna sitting in the far corner...reading.

Then she looked back at her own incubator.  
"Has she cried at all?"

Draco shook his head.  
"She's been asleep the whole time"

A high pitched wail suddenly erupted from the bed next to them.

Pansy looked absolutely mortified.

"I think your baby wants his feed, Pans" Draco told her, laughing at her.

She scowled at him, before reaching over and picking her baby up.  
She held him close to her; cuddling him absentmindedly, looking thoroughly  
irritated.

Obviously it would be Longbottom's job to do everything for their child.

Hermione looked into the incubator fondly.  
Her little girl was the most perfect thing in the world.  
she glanced up at Malfoy.  
"Have you held her, yet?"

Draco shook his head.

"Why?" She asked him, reaching over and picking up the little girl, securing  
her head with her left hand.

Hermione brought the tiny body close to her chest carefully, fulling  
intending to not wake her up.

McGonagall's classes had allowed her students to get to grips with holding  
babies correctly, feeding them and changing them...the only person that had  
hardly paid attention had been Malfoy...but in his defense -

_ 'Dammit...so I'm defending him now?'_

- McGonagall had taught them before he had actually decided to accept the  
situation.  
So Hermione thought his skills may be lacking slightly...

Draco shrugged.  
He longed to hold her...but he didn't know how.

Hermione suddenly held her out to him expectantly.  
Draco looked at her, and then shook his head.

Hermione frowned.  
"Don't you want to hold her?"

"Yes" He answered, still looking at her fondly.

Hermione was still holding the baby out to him.  
She was looking at him curiously when he kept declining her offer to hold  
his own baby.

But then she saw it in his face.

Embarrassment.

And it wasn't because of her.  
It was because of himself.

He didn't know what to do.  
Just as she had thought.

"Here" She said, moving closer to his seat. "Put your arms in a cradle  
position"

Malfoy did it; feeling uncomfortable about being told how to hold his own  
child.

Hermione carefully positioned the babies small body into Malfoy's cradled  
arms, and then placed her tiny head into the palm of his hand.

Her hands connected with his briefly, sending an involuntary shiver running  
down her spine.

Draco felt her hands on his; it was different.

When she pulled away, Draco noticed that he was now holding the baby on his  
own.

He instinctively pulled her closer to him, looking at her beautiful face.

Who knew that Granger could give birth to such a breath-taking beauty?

_ 'She has hidden qualities...'_ He told himself, still staring at the  
baby in his arms.

Hermione looked at him silently.  
She never quite realised how well Malfoy would suit fatherhood.

It brought out the colour in his cheeks...  
He looked alive.

"You know" He said quietly, taking a tiny hand in his own and playing with  
the fingers that were hidden by the white cotton cloth. "I don't think we  
can keep calling her _'baby' "_

"Or _Sprog_ " Hermione told him pointedly.

Draco looked at her.  
"What's wrong with Sprog?"

Hermione snorted.  
" _Sprog Granger..._ "

She had a point.

"Ok...Druscilla" Draco said, looking back at the baby.  
Nah...such a wicked name did not deserve to be put upon her.

"Louisa?"

"Too common" Draco answered. "Cordelia?"

"Hell no" She retorted, peering into his arms to get another look at her  
daughter.

She was beautiful.  
But what did she expect?

Hermione was well aware that Malfoy had good genes in the looks department.  
She wasn't afraid to admit that his pointy features were oddly attractive.

But then...her baby wasn't so pointy...she was oval and cuddly looking.

"Georgina?" He asked.

"Georgina Granger?" Hermione asked him, giving him a look.

"GeeGee" He laughed.

Hermione shook her head.

Draco felt the tiny little body wriggling in his arms.  
He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do.

His heart melted when she opened her eyes for the first real time.  
Her eyes were two huge pools of Ocean blue, and as he looked into them, he  
could see her staring back at him...figuring out who he was.

Hermione gasped at the scene before her.  
She felt the connection as soon as their baby had opened her eyes.

She saw the bond forming...  
She smiled to herself.

Malfoy was going to prove her wrong in all the right ways.

"_Airyn_" Draco said quietly, smiling down at the tiny infant in his arms.

It had just come to him as he looked into those eyes...  
It was the only name he could think of that was as beautiful as she was.

Hermione smiled.  
He couldn't have picked any better.

Hermione saw their baby reaching out her tiny little arms...searching for  
something.

Draco was brought back to that day he had seen the baby on the ultrasounds  
scan...reaching out for something that she couldn't see...

And now she had found what she had been looking for.

" _Airyn Granger-Malfoy_ " Hermione said, looking at him with a slight  
smile on her face.

Draco looked at her.  
"I thought it was just Granger?"

Hermione shook her head.  
"She's half yours...besides, I think that's how the rest of the class are  
doing it"

Draco nodded at her, smiling back.

He looked down again at his little baby girl.  
And looked anxiously when he saw the look on her face.

Screwed up...going bright red...

And then the crying started.


	16. Chapter 16

**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen**

_ 'She couldn't take one more day,  
home was more a prison now.  
Independence called out,  
she had to get it.  
A fight was all she needed,  
to give her reason.  
She slammed the door with no goodbye,  
she knew it was time.'_

Dumbledore walked into the Hospital Wing, taking in the scene before him.

He had buggered the birthing dates up.

Through no one's fault but his own, of course.

So now there was a maddening rush of student complaints heading his way.  
He had not meant to mess it all up for them...but he was a man; in matters  
that concerned the female anatomy, he couldn't be right all the time.

So he had apologised to all of the students, going to their beds and  
congratulating them on their success.

He had to stop in amazement however, when he came upon the sight of  
Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger;

Draco was pacing up and down beside the bed, carrying the baby in his arms.  
It was the only thing he could think of doing.

"She's really not going to calm down, Malfoy" Hermione told him, wincing  
whenever their babies shrill cry started to get louder.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" He asked her, still continuing his  
pacing, whilst rocking her slowly.

"Give her to me, I think I might know what's wrong with her"

Draco agreed, attempting the hand over the baby that was no wriggling in his  
arms.

Draco watched curiously, as Granger drew the baby to her chest.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, feeling uncomfortable.  
She didn't really want to be doing this in front of Malfoy...but at the end  
of the day, her baby's needs came first.

Then she did something that shocked him to the core.

She pulled her top down.

And her full breast popped out.

"Granger!" He said sternly, turning his head away. "Have a bit of modesty!"

Hermione gave him a look.  
She knew the baby was hungry.  
She hadn't had her feed since she was born.

"It's perfectly natural, Malfoy" She told him.

But there was still a blush creeping into her cheeks.

Hermione brought Airyn's head to her breast.  
Professor McGonagall had told her that she would have to be patient...babies  
would take time to latch on to the nipple.

But apparently Hermione didn't have that problem.  
Airyn had sort out her nipple almost immediately, taking her much needed  
milk.  
She knew that she should have expected it to be painful, but Hermione hadn't  
realised just how sensitive her breasts were.  
If she was going to continue to do this, then she hoped that it would get  
easier.

_ 'Or less painful'_ She thought to herself, wincing slightly.

Draco hesitated before glancing at them.  
He couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Not because of the situation.  
But because of the guilty thoughts that had flashed through his mind when  
Granger had exposed her full, well rounded breast.

It wasn't right.  
This was supposed to be an innocent act...  
and yet those feelings would not go away.

Dumbledore smiled to himself as he watched them.  
Miss Granger seemed to be quite the natural...

But Mr. Malfoy had surprised him the most.  
His involvement with the child thus far had been uncooperative, according  
to Minervra.  
But judging by the scene that had played out in front of him; he was sure  
that Mr. Malfoy had been having a change of heart...

"Is everything okay, Miss Granger?" Madame Pomfrey asked, as she bustling  
over.

Hermione nodded.  
"It is now"

The medi-witch looked down at the little girl and smiled brightly.  
"She's beautiful" She told both parents.

"She takes after me" Draco piped up, still not daring to look at Granger.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"You wish"

He didn't.  
He knew that Airyn was going to look exactly like her mother.

And he suddenly found himself proud of that fact.

_ 'Jesus Christ, Draco'_ He thought, scolding himself. _'What are you  
doing to yourself...'_

He had promised himself that any casual feelings that he had for Granger  
would be gone once the baby was born...  
now they suddenly seemed stronger.

In an admirable way.

Hermione seemed lost in the moment.  
Everyone had said that the first feed made the bond between mother and child  
inseparable...  
and they weren't wrong.

"If you need anything, I should be somewhere around the room" Pomfrey said,  
before leaving the bedside and making her way around the room.

Hermione suddenly looked at Malfoy.  
"I need my bag" She told him.

The one she had packed the other day...extra prepared just in case something  
like_ this_ happened.

Draco nodded.  
He knew she wasn't in any fit state to get it herself.  
"Where is it?"

"In my room" She answered, putting her eyes back on their daughter.

Draco said his goodbyes and made his way to the Hospital doors.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"I trust everything is going well, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked her,  
taking Draco's seat next to her bed.

Hermione nodded.  
She was still beside herself.  
And she couldn't manage to tear her eyes away from her beautiful little  
girl.

"And Mr. Malfoy?" He asked her curiously.

"He's better" She told him, a smirk playing on her lips.

Dumbledore nodded, understanding what she was saying.

"And the name of the baby?"

"Airyn Granger-Malfoy"

"Very pretty"

Hermione looked up at him and smiled.

She opened her legs under the hospital blanket, and lay baby Airyn between  
them, playing with her tiny little feet absentmindedly.

"Hermione!"

She instinctively looked to where the voice was coming from.  
She saw Harry and Ron waving over at her.

Her face lit up with a magnificent smile.

The two boys left their beds and walked over to hers, their eyes brimming  
with their own personal pride.

They both sat on each side of her bed.  
She felt surrounded by comfort.

"Awwwww...she's gorgeous!" Harry told her, fiddling with her fingers.

Harry looked up at Dumbledore and smiled.  
"Everyone's really happy at the moment"

Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

He got up from his place, smiling at the students before departing from  
their presence.  
He knew enough to be getting on with...for now.

Ron was looking at the baby intently.  
"It can't be Malfoy's baby" Ron told her.

She looked at him curiously.

"It doesn't have any devil horns"

Hermione felt a weird pang in her heart.  
For some reason, she felt like she needed to defend the Slytherin...

But she ignored it.  
And she ignored Ron's comment, too.

"She's not an _ it ,_ Ron" She told him pointedly.

"Ron's just sore because Parvati kicked him out of the room, halfway through  
giving birth"

Hermione laughed.  
"Why on earth would she kick you out?"

Ron looked embarrassed.  
"It was all the blood and oozing stuff...it made me feel all woozy"

Hermione sniggered.  
Very fortunately for her, Malfoy had been a rather surprisingly big help.

Now that she thought about it...  
She should have felt embarrassed about the situation.

She had him calming her down..whispering into her ear...squeezing his hand  
when the pain got too much...

"-but Millicent wants to call him Freddie"

Hermione was knocked out of her thoughts.  
"Oh god!" She said, smiling at them both. "I completely forgot to ask you  
about your children!"

Harry gushed.  
He obviously wanted to talk about the baby as much as he could.

"We had a boy" He told her, smiling widely. "I want to call him Jack, but  
Millicent said that he suits Freddie much more"

Hermione turned her head to Ron.  
"And you?"

"A boy and a girl" He told her, smiling a little. "Benny and Joon...after  
some bloody Muggle movie that Parvati fell in love with..."

"Ah" Hermione said, knowingly.

Parvati's Johnny Depp obsession...poor Ron.

"I want to see them" Hermione said happily, stroking her babies little  
button nose with the tip of her index finger.

Airyn was wriggling around on the cover, her eyes now beginning to focus  
more so than before.  
She seemed to be trying to follow the voices that were talking around her...

"How has Malfoy been since she was born?" Harry asked her, reaching out to  
grab her little foot.

He hoped that Hermione realised just how beautiful her daughter was.  
It was very weird seeing Hermione interacting with a baby...especially a  
baby that was one of her own.  
It made her look like a mature adult.

"He's been very..." _Whats the word?...tender? Happy? unlike his usual  
self_ ..."good" She answered.

Ron didn't really want to believe her.  
This was Malfoy...Malfoy was never good.

Harry knew it was true.  
He may be naive himself sometimes...but he knew better of Hermione.  
And if she said that he was doing ok, then he saw no reason to not believe  
her.

"Pomfrey had told Millicent that she can go back to the apartment tomorrow"  
Harry told her. "They've given us all two weeks off...and then we are back  
in for two weeks before we break up for Christmas"

Hermione nodded, thanking him for the information.

Hopefully she could take Airyn back to the Common Room tomorrow.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Draco looked around the room, taking it all in.

_'So this is where all the baby stuff went?'_ he thought to himself,  
looking around Granger's room.

There was a small armoire for the baby, stationed next to Granger's own  
wardrobe.  
The cot was in the corner by her bed...and the little changing table stood  
by her dresser.

The dresser held nothing but baby bottles and baby-suckers...  
In any other girls room, a dresser would have all kinds of perfumes and  
smelly bath products...  
But not Granger's.

Draco felt slightly guilty.  
He could have prepared his own room a little better.  
He only had the Moses basket...maybe he would have to order some more things  
for little Airyn, if she was going to be comfortable in his room.

Draco saw something out of the corner of his eye, lying on her bed.

Granger's journal.

She would probably need that...probably want to write about the labour and  
whatever else she thought was necessary to waffle on about.

Draco moved to her bed and picked it up.  
His senses were suddenly assaulted by the smell of Peaches...mixed in with  
another fruit...might have been mango.

_ 'Granger...'_

His thoughts swam with that image of her...  
Her breast innocently feeding their baby.

Draco shook his head.  
He did not need those types of thoughts.

Just because she was now the mother of his child for the next eight  
months...it didn't mean that he had to start thinking about her in a  
different way...

Draco fingered the leather binding on the journal...  
Curiosity suddenly replacing the feelings he was trying to push down.

Should he?  
Or was that breeching her privacy?

But, why should he care?  
Its not like she would ever find out about it...

Draco slowly opened the cover of the journal, his fingers sifting through  
the pages...looking for the mention of his name...

_ 'Christ...every other page has at least one bad thing said about me!'_  
He thought idly, flicking through the first couple of pages...

_'The baby kicked for the first time today_

Now THAT was interesting...

...'_I thought I could share it with my friends, but I decided to keep it  
to myself considering Ron had better things to discuss. I wasn't planning on  
telling anyone, especially not Malfoy...considering he probably wouldn't  
have wanted to know.  
But I was wrong...  
From the moment he touched my stomach, I felt something. Nothing major; just  
a stupid little feeling, like he was finally coming to terms with everything  
that was happening to us'_...

Draco flicked through the pages again; desperate to read more of Granger's  
thoughts.

But why?  
Why was he suddenly so interested?  
He hadn't been before, so what had changed now?

_ **Airyn**..._ He thought to himself.  
Yes...she had changed everything now.

..._Damn that massage_

Draco smirked, looking down at the neat handwriting in the journal.

... _It was so relaxing, I could have gone to sleep right there! Not that I  
plan on telling Malfoy that...  
For some reason, he's been different lately. I can't put my finger on it,  
but I think it might just be the fact that he had accepted his duty now.  
I couldn't help but admire him when we saw the Ultrasound of the  
baby...something had finally clicked inside of him when he saw our child  
lying there inside of me...  
It made me realise that he might just be ready to do this..._

Granger...complimenting him?  
Now there was a different side of her he had never seen before.

He contemplated for a moment.  
When exactly was it when they had decided to finally accept their truce, and  
just be there for each other and the baby?

Was it a mutual decision, or did it just happen naturally?  
Nothing was sticking out in his mind...he couldn't exactly place the day...

But it could have been the moment when he had felt the baby moving  
underneath Granger's warm skin...  
Or seeing the the image of their beautiful little girl moving on the  
projector...  
Or maybe it was the moment that Airyn had been delivered into the world...

Maybe it was all three, jumbled into one mixed feeling of suppressed  
happiness.

He knew he had never felt happiness like this before.  
It was selfless...and it scared him.

He had realised;

As soon as Airyn had been born, he had fallen in love with her.  
Her tiny features...her hair...her big baby blues...

But what about Granger?  
Was she an acquaintance, now?

Did he think of her like he would a friend?

_'Goyle is a friend, and you don't go round thinking of his  
man-breasts...'_

Draco shook his head at the mental image.

Sure enough.  
Draco was feeling something for Granger that he never thought he would feel  
in a million years;

Respect.

But he couldn't quite place that other feeling...  
The one that niggled at him whenever he thought about her holding their  
daughter in her arms for the first time...the way she had squeezed his hand  
during her labour, taking a silent comfort in the fact that he was there...

Draco realised that other feeling.  
All of a sudden, it knocked into him.

He was feeling an attraction to Hermione Granger.

A strange attraction that he didn't think he should explore any further...  
but the seeds had already been planted in his mind...and once they were  
there, they would only grow stronger...

_ 'Dammit all to hell...'_ He thought with a sigh.

This was only going to go downhill from here...

Draco finally picked up her bag and made his way towards her door.

If he stayed there any longer, he knew he would end up dwelling on his  
feelings even further.

_ 'No good can come of this...'_ He thought to himself, shutting the  
door behind him.

Oh, how wrong could he be?


	17. Chapter 17

**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen**

_'I always have,  
I always will.  
You know that I just want to touch you,  
whenever your close to me.  
I always have,  
I always will.  
You know that I just want to show you,  
just how much you mean to me'_

Draco lay in his bed.

Countless times he had attempted to get some sleep.  
But it was no use.  
Nothing was settling him tonight.

He turned and saw the clock on his bedside cabinet.

_ 2.35am_

Dammit, he had spent almost three hours willing sleep to come!

He rolled over, onto his stomach.  
He fluffed the pillow a few times, hoping it would make his head more  
comfortable...  
but he knew he wouldn't feel comfort at all tonight.

Airyn wasn't there with him.

Granger had been told she could go home today.  
Madame Pomfrey had used all the necessary potions and healing spells to get  
her and the other girls healthy again. Apparently she was 'far too busy' to  
keep tending to all the girls...

** F L A S H B A C K**

_Draco had met her from the Hospital after his last lesson of the day.  
The girl's were allowed two weeks off to re-cooperate after giving birth,  
whereas the boys had to have their last lesson today._

_He had to smirk when he looked at her, wrapped up in her cloak.  
Their daughter was wearing a white jump suit, which made her resemble a baby  
snowman.  
But he didn't blame Granger for wrapping her up so tightly...the weather was  
terrible for Mid-November...blustering winds which had managed to knock even  
the fattest of people over._

_"What's so funny?" She asked him, seeing the smirk on his face._

_Without any warning, Hermione handed the baby over to him.  
She had her bag to carry, and Malfoy obviously wasn't going to offer to  
carry it._

_Draco struggled with his grip on his infant, the jump suit slipping a little  
in his hands.  
But he quickly got the grasp of it, and cradled her to him as both he and  
Granger made their way out of the Hospital Wing._

_When they got home to their Common Room, Draco felt a sense of pride fill  
his heart.  
His baby was home._

_He couldn't help the feelings that were flooding through him, they were so  
strong that he would of had a very difficult time hiding them._

_Hermione plopped herself down onto the couch, taking off her thick cloak and  
putting it behind her.  
She looked over at Malfoy, and a smile suddenly beamed on her face._

_He stood there;_

_Rocking the baby in his arms...looking at her like she was the only  
precious thing he had in the world._

_Who knew?_

_She never would have guessed that Malfoy would take to it this comfortably.  
He seemed to come alive whenever he was holding her._

_Hermione knew exactly how he felt, because she felt exactly the same when  
she looked at their baby._

_Hermione leaned back on the couch, closing her eyes._

_Last night was a nightmare.  
Malfoy had been told to go home by Madame Pomfrey. She had told him that he  
needed some sleep..._

_But the thing that confused Hermione was the fact that Pomfrey had mentioned  
that Malfoy had been there ** ALL ** day, the first day that Airyn had been  
born._

_Hadn't he told her that he had only just arrived when she had awoke from her  
sleep?_

_Or was there something that he wasn't telling her?_

_Hermione had the inkling that something was amiss...she couldn't put her  
finger on it, but she knew there was something that Malfoy was hiding from  
her...but until the day she discovered what it was that he was hiding, she  
would have to keep her thoughts to herself._

_...Well, as soon as Malfoy went home from the hospital, Hermione instantly  
regretted it._

_Airyn had cried the whole night through, and nothing Hermione could do would  
calm her down...  
In the end, she had fed her twice and ended up rocking her asleep for about  
half an hour._

_Hermione opened one eye and glanced at Malfoy.  
He was sat on the chair opposite her.  
He just seemed to be staring at Airyn...but he seemed so content, that  
Hermione didn't want to bring him out of his thoughts._

_Draco couldn't take his eyes off her._

_If it was possible, she had grown more beautiful since yesterday.  
He had removed her little jump suit, finding a pink babygrow underneath._

_He wondered how that had gotten there, considering all the babygrows that  
had been delivered were either white or yellow...  
But then again, magic obviously had something to do with it._

_"I think she might need changing later" Hermione told him._

_He looked up at her.  
"Well, I'll give her back to you, then" He told her, getting up from the  
chair. "You can have the...err...pleasure of that little task"_

_Hermione got up off the couch before Malfoy could bring Airyn any closer.  
"Nuhuh" She told him defiantly, walking around the couch so it was now  
in between herself and Malfoy. "I did it before...and I believe you haven't  
had the...err... ** pleasure** of experiencing it for yourself, yet"_

_Draco scowled.  
He would feed her, change her, wind her and even bath her...but there was no  
way he was cleaning up her mess._

_"But it's disgusting" He told her, looking down at the baby._

_Hermione laughed.  
"Don't tell me your shit smells of roses, Malfoy"_

_He chuckled beside himself.  
Atl east his shit wasn't being carried around inside a nappy all day..._

_Babies really were dirty little creatures, when you got down to the bottom  
of it._

_** 'Bad pun, Draco...'** he thought to himself._

_"Oh come on, Granger" He asked her, following her around the couch until she  
made a dash for the other side of it, getting away from him again. "Your used  
to cleaning up other people's shit"_

_Hermione looked at him incredulously.  
"How so?" She asked him, folding her arms over her chest._

_"You've been cleaning up Potter and Weasley's since first year"_

_Hermione scowled at him.  
"I'll choose to ignore that comment"_

_Draco shrugged.  
"I don't know how to change a dirty nappy, anyway" He told her. "So until I  
do learn, you'll have to do it" _

_Hermione smirked at him.  
"Don't think you're getting out of this so easily" She told him, finally  
coming around to him at the back of the couch. "I'll show you how"_

_She took the baby from his arms, and carried her over to the couch.  
She lay her down on it, before pointing her wand at the door that lead to  
her dorm room._

_"Accio Changing mat!"_

_Draco watched as a yellow piece of plastic covered sponge flew through the  
air, before landing in the centre of the floor, in front of the couch._

_Hermione picked Airyn up again, and then placed her on the changing mat._

_Hermione looked over at Malfoy.  
"Come here" She told him._

_And it wasn't a request._

_He peered over the couch, watching what she was doing.  
Then he slowly moved around it, until he was leaning over Granger's back,  
watching her pop the buttons underneath the babygrow._

_"The nappies and sudo-crem are in my bag" She told him, taking their  
daughters tiny legs out of the babygrow._

_Draco looked through the bag, until he found them.  
He passed them to her, but she shook her head and smiled at him._

_"I'm not doing it" She told him. "You are"_

_Draco's face paled.  
"I'll be sick"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"You big wimp!"_

_He didn't care.  
There was just something about seeing someone else's excrements that made  
him want to hurl._

_Hermione carefully undid their babies nappy, trying her best to take it off  
considering Airyn was kicking her legs up into the air._

_Draco noticed that she kept trying to fit her whole fist into her mouth._

_Draco smirked to himself.  
Definitely Granger's daughter...only her ** foot** tended to live in her  
mouth, rather than her **fist** ._

_"Malfoy, get your ass down here and do this" Hermione told him, poking him  
in the knee cap when he didn't respond._

_Draco sighed.  
Slowly, he sat down next to Granger on the floor and watched what she was  
doing._

_And then he smelt it._

_"Eurg!" He exclaimed, holding his nose. "That's absolutely revolting!" _

_Hermione laughed, and then passed him the baby wipes._

_He looked at her, confusion etching his features.  
"What?" He asked her._

_"Wipe her clean" She told him._

_Draco shook his head.  
"No" He answered, still holding his nose, just for effect. "There's no way  
I'm doing that"_

_Hermione took drastic action.  
She pulled the nappy away from Airyn's bottom, and put it right in front of  
Malfoy's face._

_"I've called you **shit face** a few times in my lifetime, Malfoy..." She  
told him, a smirk playing on her lips as his back hit the couch, trying to  
get away from the offending diaper. "...but I never meant the term  
literally..."_

_Draco took a deep breath.  
"Fine" He told her defiantly. "But you owe me one"_

_He begrudgingly took the baby wipes from her hand, and tentatively wiped  
Airyn's bottom; his nose wrinkling in disgust when he saw the weird  
greenish-coloured crap on the wipe._

_This was obviously one of the more degrading parts of Parenthood._

_Hermione watched him as he cleaned their baby.  
Well, at least he had finally took the bull by the horns and decided to  
** really** get his hands dirty._

_When Airyn's backside was finally clean (and the rest of her too,  
considering she just wouldn't stay still when Malfoy was cleaning her),  
Hermione had shown Malfoy how to put a clean nappy back on, and how to  
adjust the babygrow so that it was fastened back up._

_Draco felt proud of himself.  
Call it a conquering of the fears, if you will._

_He clapped his hands together enthusiastically, rubbing them.  
"So, what now?" He asked her._

_"Probably her feed, and then a nap" Hermione told him, taking the baby in  
her arms and sitting back down on the couch._

_Draco nodded.  
But he didn't really understand exactly why Airyn had to sleep so much.  
When she was asleep, he couldn't peer into her eyes._

_Draco watched out of the corner of his eye as Granger undid the first few  
buttons of the three-quarter sleeved white blouse she was wearing._

_Not this again.  
He didn't think he could take it._

_Instead, he made his excuses and walked to his dorm room._

_Hermione watched him go.  
She felt awkward...was he that repulsed by the sight of her feeding their  
child?_

_Hermione looked down as Airyn took Hermione's nipple into her mouth with  
ease.  
Hermione rocked her slowly, patting her tiny bottom with her left hand as  
she sat there, staring into space._

**E N D F L A S H B A C K**

...Draco had been downstairs twice since then.

Once to see if Granger needed any help, and a second time to say goodnight  
to Airyn.

He knew that his daughter needed to stay with Granger for a night or two;  
her milk was obviously an important source of food for the baby at the  
moment.

But Draco was anxious to have her all to himself.  
To be there when she woke up, needing comfort.

To see her twinkling eyes when she looked up at him, figuring out who he  
was.

Draco rolled over in his bed yet again, willing sleep to come to him.  
But it was useless.

He threw the covers off himself, before throwing on a pair of black baggy  
pajama bottoms and heading for his door.

He walked into the Common Room; searching for something to do.

But instead he found something much better.

Granger lying on the couch; Airyn lying on her chest...eyes wide open,  
looking around curiously at her surroundings.

Draco walked towards them slowly.  
Granger was sleeping peacefully.

He smiled down at the baby.  
Obviously she was having problems sleeping, too.

He reached down slowly, watching Granger's face as he did so.

She really wasn't all that bad looking, when her mouth was shut.

Her light brown hair cascaded around her, the curls traveling over her  
shoulders, and onto the arm of the couch that she was using as a pillow.

He came to the realisation that she was remotely attractive...which was a  
dangerous thing to admit to himself...and he was fully aware of it.

Draco plucked Airyn from Granger's chest slowly, so he didn't wake her.

Bringing the baby closer to him, holding her head in the palm of his left  
hand, he smiled down at her.

"What are you still doing awake, eh?" He asked her.

Airyn moved moved her head around, as if trying to figure out where she  
was... feeling his fingers on her scalp. She brought one fist back into her  
mouth again, and the other shot up into the air, waving around meekly...

Draco smiled at her.  
"Can't sleep...?" He answered for her. "Neither can I"

He sat down with her on the chair opposite Granger's sleeping form.

He carried the conversation on with himself, still looking adoringly at his  
daughter.

"I don't suppose your liking it very much at the moment" He told her,  
holding her outstretched hand in his own, playing with her tiny fingers. "But  
I wouldn't worry; it'll probably get better when me and your mum get our  
acts together"

Draco glanced at Granger.  
"She's not bad, really" He continued. "You will actually find that you can  
get on with her, when you want to"  
He looked back down at Airyn. "But then again...I can tell your going to be  
_ Daddy's_ little girl..."

"That's what I was thinking"

Draco's head shot up, looking at the girl on the couch.

When the hell did she wake up?  
Had she been listening to what he had been saying?

Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position, yawning and stretching as  
she did so.

Draco couldn't help but glance at the small bit of flesh that had flashed at  
him as she stretched her arms into the air...the tank top she was wearing  
riding over her stomach.

"Why did you fall asleep down here?" He asked her.

Hermione looked at him tiredly.  
"I couldn't get her to sleep, so we came back down here for a bit" She  
picked the book up that had fallen off the edge of the couch. "When Airyn  
finally fell asleep on me, I picked up a book and started reading"

Draco accepted her answer.  
Obviously she was finding it harder to cope than she was letting on.

"Why are you down here?" She asked him.

"I couldn't sleep" He admitted, still playing with his daughters fingers.

He could see her eyelids starting to flutter shut.

"I think she's going to sleep, now" He told Granger.

Hermione got up from the couch and walked over to stand by Malfoy at the  
side of his chair, looking down at their daughter.

"She always puts her fist in her mouth" Hermione said fondly.

Draco smiled.  
"I think it's cute"

Hermione looked at him, a shocked expression written on her face.  
Since when did Malfoy call anything or anyone _cute _?

"Have you seen her try and pull at the hairs on her head?" Hermione asked  
him, crouching down beside the chair, reaching out to stroke the infants  
delicate head.

Draco shook his head.  
"No, but I've seen that look in her eyes that she gets when she's trying to  
suss something out"

Hermione laughed quietly.  
"I've seen that too"

Draco looked over at Granger.  
"It reminds me of you"

He could see those emotions written on her face...full of love and  
contempt for their daughter.

He felt the same.

"I think I should put her in her crib" She told him, reaching her arms out  
to take the baby.

Draco kept a firm hold, withdrawing from Granger's grasp.

Then he got up from the chair, walking over to the door that lead to  
Granger's dorm room.

She followed him, wondering what he was doing.

He opened the door, and disappeared up the stairs.

"Malfoy?" She asked him, walking behind him. "Where do you think your  
going?"

Malfoy turned on the stairs and looked over his shoulder at her.  
"I'm putting Airyn to bed"

Hermione looked at him strangely for a moment.  
Did he not think that she could do it on her own?

But...it was endearing to know that he felt the need to want to do these  
things for himself.

Draco pushed Hermione's door open; walking into the room and going straight  
over to the tiny crib in the corner of the room.

Hermione was just in front of him when he placed their now sleeping daughter  
into her new sleeping quarters.  
she looked so small, lying there surrounded by white fluffy bedding...an  
array of small cuddly toys surrounding her as she slept.

Draco couldn't help the small smile that illuminated his face.  
He had the urge to want to put his baby girl to bed himself...he needed to  
do it to put that overwhelming feeling of need to rest.

But it wasn't satisfied.  
And it would never be satisfied.

He looked at the back of Granger's head a moment, for some reason he noticed  
the two-toned shade of her hair. The light brown with the dark blond...

_ 'Draco, what a time to be studying Granger's hair!'_

Hermione looked longingly at her daughter.  
She had been holding her not moments ago..and yet she missed her warmth so  
much.

It was crazy.

Hermione moved away from the crib before Draco did without realising it, and  
her fore head bumped into his chest as she collided with him.

And it was the first time that Hermione realised that he was naked from the  
waist up.  
Her eyes were inline with the feint outline of his pectoral muscles...and if  
she looked down an inch or two, she would have been able to see those abs  
that she had heard some of the girls talking about every now and again...

When her head came into contact with Draco's chest, his hands had instantly  
came out to hold her arms; just in case she fell backwards towards the crib.

And now he found himself almost holding her in his arms.

_'Wow...this could be seriously embarrassing'_ Hermione thought to  
herself, still guiltily admiring his chest.

Hermione looked up at him slowly, ready to apologise for being such a clutz.  
She could easily blame it on being tired...

But when she looked up at him, all words seemed to fail her.  
The moonlight through the window had created a sharp shadow on his face, his  
sharp features becoming more prominent...and his eyes all the more silver.

In that moment, she realised what all the fuss was about when it came to  
Draco Malfoy.  
She realised why all the girls found him so oddly attractive...

It wasn't because of _ who_ he was...and it wasn't because of  
_ what_ he was...

It was because somewhere deep inside of him, there was a _man _waiting  
to be discovered...  
A man waiting to be brought out of his boyish exterior...wanting to grow up  
and realise what life was all about...

And Hermione could not help but find that extremely attractive.

He was looking at her curiously.  
As if sussing her out...finding out what she was thinking.

Hermione felt his hands on each of her forearms...she could feel his  
fingertips tightening slightly.

Draco stared into her eyes like he did _ that_ day on the Quidditch.  
He wondered if she could tell what was going through his mind...wondered if  
she would ever know.

Did she realise the way he would look at her now?  
The way he held that respectful gaze just for her?

No, and she would never realise; because he never wanted her to know.

She didn't need to know that it was all her fault that he was feeling like  
this...  
Never knowing whether he was coming or going, and never really understanding  
the feelings that he kept hidden whenever he saw her face light up in a  
smile...

Draco let go of her suddenly, looking down at the floor.  
"It's late" He said quietly. "I should get going"

Hermione nodded.

What had just happened here?

One minute they were getting along...then they were locked in some kind of  
embrace...and now he was being off with her?

And he says that HER hormones are up the wall?

Draco looked up and gave her a small smile.  
And it was killing him.

There was a niggling inside of him, telling him to just dip his head down  
and kiss her.

_ 'Whoa!'_ he thought, shocked at the feeling that had just gone through  
him. _'Where the hell did that just come from?'_

But he would be damned if he was going to do it.  
He really didn't understand what was happening...and doing something on a  
whim would only prove disastrous.

Until he figured this thing out, he knew he would have to try and keep his  
mind focused solely on the baby...like he was supposed to be doing.

But why would he be getting the instinct to actually _ kiss_ her?  
Was it down to confused feelings?  
Yes, maybe his feelings for Airyn were so strong that they were crossing  
over the Granger, too...

This was very dangerous.

He turned and walked towards her door, leaving her standing there in the  
same position she had been in when he had held her.  
And even that had felt right...

She seemed to fit perfectly against him...her slight frame being able to  
mold to his shape.

Draco went to walk out of the door.

"We should do this every night" He heard her say.

He turned and looked at her.  
Do what?  
Knock into each other and then embrace unknowingly?

Hermione gave him a small smile, finally moving and sat down on her bed.  
"Put Airyn to bed together..."

She saw Malfoy's eyes light up in realisation.  
Did he think she had meant-

"Yeah, thats a good idea" He told her, his frame leaning against her doorway  
momentarily. "It'll show that we're a unified front"

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"It's my dorm tomorrow, Granger..." he told her, giving her a small smirk.  
"...I hope your prepared..."

"As ready as I'll ever be" She told him.

Draco nodded.  
"Goodnight, Granger..."

And with that, he turned and closed the door behind him.

Hermione was left to sit and ponder upon the events that had just taken  
place.

Knowing full when that some kind of wheel had just been set in motion...


	18. Chapter 18

**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen**

_ ' Please allow me to introduce myself,  
I'm a man of wealth and taste.  
Pleased to meet you,  
hope you guessed my name.  
But what's puzzling you,  
is the nature of my game'_

Draco sat there, still mulling it over in his mind.  
Wondering how the hell he had come to be in the situation he was in.

Who in a million years thought he would be sat on Potter's couch, watching  
him and Weasle attempt to change their babies nappies together?

Harry suddenly turned around and looked at him.  
"Oi!" He shouted. "I thought you were supposed to know what to do?"

Malfoy shrugged, smirking at him.

"Get down 'ere and give me a bloody hand" Ron told him, trying to hold both  
of his children down with one hand, whilst holding a nappy full of shit with  
the other. "In case you haven't noticed, I've got a two for the price of one  
deal going on here!"

Draco chuckled.

And then he got down onto the living room floor to kneel behind them.  
Was he going mad?

Who would ever think that he would actually say i yes /i to helping Potty  
and Weasley?

Something was definitely amiss here...

_ 'A strange ending to a very strange day...'_

** F L A S H B A C K**

_Draco strutted as proud as a peacock through the streets of Hogsmeade._

_He had got himself and Granger a day's pass into the village, as they found  
themselves without the aid of a stroller to cart their daughter around in._

_It had been exactly one week since **that thing** had happened in  
Granger's room.  
After that day, neither of them had spoken about it. They didn't need to,  
because at the moment they had more important things to worry about._

_Like the sleepless nights that they have been having._

_Draco felt like he was a walking grouch; snapping at every little thing,  
from student's dragging their feet in the hallway's, to the little sniffing  
sound that Granger kept making with her nose, because she had a cold coming  
on._

_The first night Airyn had spent in his room had been the worst.  
After Granger had gone with him to put her into the moses basket, she told  
him that he will probably end up getting up at least three times that night._

_Draco wanted to bring it on, thinking he could take it.  
But he couldn't._

_And judging by the dark circles underneath Granger's eyes, he could see that  
she was struggling too._

_"Can you slow down?" Came Granger's voice from behind him._

_Draco looked around at her, the wind whipping his face as he did.  
He pulled his house scarf tighter around his neck._

_She was walking behind him, with their baby in a hammock-like sling.  
She looked incredibly cozy, her little woolly yellow bobble hat sticking out  
of the sling._

_Draco slowed his pace.  
"We're nearly there" He told her. "I'm sure theres a shop just down the road  
that sells what we're looking for"_

_Hermione followed him as he kept walking.  
She was too tired to even want to come out today, but she had told him that  
she would to get the baby stroller.  
All she really wanted to do was sleep...lay her head back onto a pillow and  
dream._

_But dreaming didn't come easily lately.  
She woke herself every half an hour, just in case her baby was crying.  
And when Airyn **wasn't ** in her room at night, she would lie awake  
wondering how Malfoy was doing._

_"Here we are" Came his voice from in front of her._

_Hermione hadn't even realised that she was even walking.  
She must have been really out of it._

_Hermione looked upon the little shop; the windows were frosted over, and the  
little blue door held a circle of holly in the middle of it.  
Hermione hadn't even realised that Christmas was upon them._

_Draco held the door open for her, before she walked inside the shop.  
He followed her, welcoming the instant warmth he felt once he stepped over  
the threshold._

_Hermione looked around in amazement.  
Everything she could possibly want for her baby lay within this shop.  
But it all looked very expensive._

_Draco looked over into the corner, seeing the little section for prams.  
He tapped Hermione on the bottom of her back to get her attention. She  
looked around at what he was trying to tell her, and then saw his hand  
pointing to the corner._

_She walked in front of him._

_Noticing his hand was still placed upon the bottom of her back.  
Dangerously close to her backside._

_When she stopped, she saw an array of pretty little strollers.  
She wanted them all, but unfortunately she could only pick one._

_"Shall we try them out?" Draco asked her with a smirk._

_He then turned Hermione around slowly, looking down and reaching for  
something._

_Her eyes widened, until she saw that he was picking their child up and  
putting her in his arms.  
She didn't realise what he was doing.  
For some reason, her mind had betrayed her into thinking he was turning her  
around to look at her..._

_ **'Stupid brain'** She thought angrily.  
Obviously she was a lot more tired than she first thought._

_Draco was busying himself with putting his child into all kinds of different  
sized prams.  
He didn't want to think about the way Granger's eyes sort his out when he  
had turned her around.  
The look in her eyes felt like she was slowly melting him...  
Something that only Airyn had managed to do so far._

_Why was everything becoming so bloody difficult?  
Airyn was supposed to be a distraction for him...not make him think about  
Granger all the more._

_Draco pulled his nose up at one of the prams that he had put his baby into.  
She just looked too small inside it._

_Hermione smiled.  
Of all the things in the world, she had never expected Malfoy to be so...out  
in the open about his feelings towards Airyn.  
In school, he had this aura of being cool, calm and collected.  
Now he was jolly, upbeat and too busy indulging his time in his baby girl to  
even think about anything else._

_Hermione looked around the rest of the shop, looking at all the cribs and  
other baby contraptions.  
She spotted the moses basket in Malfoy's room out of the corner of her eye.  
She took one glance at him -_

_Still testing out the prams._

_- and then walked over to the replica of the moses basket._

_Her heart almost stopped when she saw the price.  
Why did he bother buying something so expensive?!  
Airyn will have grown out of it within three months!_

_Hermione thought about that fact for a moment.  
When February came along, Airyn would be two months old...and apparently  
after those first two months, she will then somehow 'transform' into a ten  
month old... and then from then on she will continue to change until she  
became a four year old..._

_Hermione thought that was a little odd...  
But then, there was nothing about this project that wasn't odd._

_Hermione was startled out of her thoughts, when she heard a baby start to  
scream the place down.  
She instinctively looked over at Malfoy, ready to glare at him for making  
Airyn cry._

_But upon looking over, she saw that both Malfoy and Airyn were still quite  
content with each other, playing with the strollers._

_"Just take him, will you"_

_Hermione looked to her left._

_So ** that** was where the noise was coming from?_

_Hermione watched as Ron was handed one of his children from their twin  
stroller, a look of utter panic on his face because the baby was crying so  
loudly._

_"Hey Ron!" Hermione beamed, walking over to him._

_He looked around curiously, looking for the person who had called his name.  
When he finally caught sight of Hermione, he smiled broadly._

_"Hermione!"_

_Ron walked towards her stiffly.  
Obviously not too comfortable with holding one of his twins._

_ **'He doesn't look as comfortable as Malfoy does'** Her brain thought for  
her._

_Hermione scowled inwardly._

_"How's it going?" He asked her, putting the baby one shoulder, and then  
swapping it when it made no difference to the screaming._

_Hermione winced slightly. It had a good set of windpipes on it.  
"It's ok" She told him. "Tiring, but I'm getting along"_

_She glanced at the back of the babies head.  
"Can I see?"_

_Ron wondered what she was talking about.  
And then it dawned on him.  
"Oh, yeah sure"_

_As he brought the baby down from his shoulder, he cradled the baby in his  
arms awkwardly.  
"This is Benny" He told her._

_He looked just like Parvati.  
The skin, those same big brown eyes.  
The only thing that remotely resembled Ron was the telltale flecks of auburn  
hair that lay on top of the babies head._

_If felt funny, seeing Ron's baby.  
But for some reason it didn't hurt her as much as she thought it would. _

_Since the babies had been born, Hermione had only managed a quick glance at  
them.  
She had been far too busy with her own.  
That, and sleep._

_"Where's Annie?" He asked._

_Hermione looked at him with a scowl.  
"Don't you mean **Airyn** ?"_

_Ron nodded, his cheeks flushing.  
"Sorry, it's a hard name to remember"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes at him.  
"She's with Malfoy, over at the pram section"_

_She noticed Ron's stance become much more defensive at the mention of  
Malfoy's name._

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

_Draco kept one eye on her the whole time.  
The way her body language seemed to heighten whenever she spoke to him...  
He knew she would have preferred to be partnered with Weasley, any old dolt  
could see that._

_** 'Except for Weasle, apparently'** _

_Draco almost snarled when Granger smiled at him.  
What the hell was wrong with him?_

_Draco took a step closer to their conversation, trying to listen in.  
He didn't want to seem like he was prying...but at the end of the day,  
Granger was supposed to be helping him look for prams, not start flirting  
with the nearest Ginger-nut she could find._

_** 'Stupid Weasle-nut'** He thought, scowling._

_Why was he being so defensive, all of a sudden?  
What did he care that Granger had an infatuation with him?  
It wasn't his problem..._

_But it was.  
At the end of the day, she was Airyn's mother. And if she was Airyn's mother  
then that meant that Granger had responsibilities to her child.  
Which meant that no flirting should be conducted during their project._

_** 'Unless it's with me'** _

_Dammit!  
He had to stop his brain from thinking._

_What was the attraction?  
Her looks?_

_** 'Not really...'** _

_Her knowledge?_

_** 'Nah...'** _

_Her figure?_

_** 'Good...but its not the right answer...'** _

_Then Draco settled on the answer._

_She was a good mother.  
That was the attraction._

_** 'Well'** he thought with a smile. **'At least its not sexual...I can  
handle it better when I know its not sexual...' **_

_But with the image of Granger's single breast coming into his memory again,  
he knew he was living in a world of denial._

_"Malfoy?"_

_Draco shook himself from his thoughts.  
He looked over as both Granger and Weasley were looking at him strangely._

_"What?"_

_Hermione looked around, slightly panicked.  
"Where's Airyn?"_

_Draco looked down to see his arms were childless.  
He looked around in all different directions, hoping to see his baby on the  
floor somewhere..._

_But she wasn't._

_Hermione walked past him, glancing round quickly.  
"Where is she?" She asked him, her worried voice sounding like it was going  
to break._

_Draco couldn't say anything.  
Because he didn't know._

_Hadn't she just been in his arms-_

_An Earth-shattering cry suddenly erupted from on of the prams._

_Both Hermione and Draco instantly ran in the direction.  
And there...in a pram covered with white daisies and a canopy...lay their  
baby._

_Hermione turned and glared at him.  
"Why did you leave her there?"_

_Draco looked down at the floor.  
He couldn't tell her that it was because he was trying to listen in on her  
and Weasley's conversation..._

_"She seemed happy"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Well obviously not, considering she has just screamed the place down"_

_Hermione picked the baby up, putting her tiny head on her shoulder, stroking  
her soft brown hair._

_She gave Malfoy a shake of the head in disapproval.  
"I guess she doesn't like that pram"_

_Draco couldn't help but smirk at that comment.  
"I think she prefers the more expensive ones"_

_Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly.  
For some reason; she found herself unable to stay mad at him lately._

_And that thought disgruntled her._

_"'Mione?" Came Ron's voice from behind her. _

_He still had hold of Benny, and Parvati was behind him with the stroller  
with the other child inside of it.  
On the undercarriage of the pram, there was a rather large box...some kind of  
parcel._

_"Are you going now?" She asked him. _

_He nodded.  
However, he didn't seem to be looking at Hermione...he kept his eyes on  
Malfoy the whole time._

_"We're going to the Three Broomsticks to meet Harry and Millicent, if you  
want to join us when you're finished" Parvati told both Hermione and Draco,  
keeping her eyes on Draco the whole time, too._

_Hermione had noticed this as well...  
And for some reason, she felt a twinge of jealousy._

_Hermione nodded.  
"Sure, we'll be there when we've found a pram decent enough for **Her  
Majesty** " Hermione told them, looking sideways at her daughter proudly,  
whose head was turned to face her on her shoulder._

_Obviously she had acquired her high maintenance taste from Malfoy._

_"Ok, we'll see you then" Ron told her; finally taking his eyes off Malfoy,  
before giving her a small smile and walking out of the shop with Parvati._

_Draco looked at her for a minute.  
"We'll buy the buggy, and then I'll take Airyn home" He told her._

_Hermione frowned at him.  
"Why would you need to take Airyn home?"_

_He shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable.  
"You want to see you mates, so I'll take her home"_

_Hermione smirked.  
"Don't be so ridiculous" She answered, putting the baby onto her other  
shoulder. "You're coming with me" _

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

_Draco felt uncomfortable.  
Sitting there with all b her /b friends...the only person he actually  
really spoke to was Millicent._

_And Parvati was looking at him strangely, too...  
Her eyes were darting to him every now and again._

_And Weasley was at it as well!  
Draco hated the Weasle...he would have no problems knocking him out.  
But for some reason he was holding back on his snarky comments...because  
Granger would only hate him all the more if he didn't._

_But since when did he care what Granger thought?_

_** 'Since she became the mother of your virtual child...'** His  
subconscious bit back at him._

_Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place..._

_Harry glanced at the blonde boy sitting in the corner, protecting the baby in  
the pram as if his life depended on it.  
There was still something about him that had changed...  
It was subtle, but Harry knew instantly, just by the look in his eyes... _

_They held a warmth that had never been there before._

_Harry didn't care that Malfoy was sitting there.  
At the end of the day, if he didn't want to be there in the first place then  
he would have walked away..._

_But he knew that Malfoy was there because Hermione had asked him.  
And he didn't say no..._

_Maybe there was a heart inside his chest after all._

_"Harry, he's absolutely adorable!" Hermione cooed, holding baby Freddie in  
her arms._

_He didn't have Harry's slight figure.  
He was built like a brick shit-house...stocky...obviously he took after  
Millicent in that department._

_His hair **was** like Harry's, however.  
And much like her own child, the baby had dark hair on top of his head.  
Dark...almost black._

_"Madame Pomfrey had told us that Freddie will need glasses in a few months"  
Millicent told her, looking happily at her child. "But we don't care, as long  
as he's healthy"_

_Draco almost snorted into his glass of coke.  
Trust potter to have a child that would be the replica of himself._

_"Apparently Joon will have asthma" Parvati told the party, sitting at the  
table._

_Ron nodded, looking down at the child in question, who was sitting upright  
on his knees. Ron was supporting her by putting her back against his  
stomach._

_Draco looked around at all of the children.  
It was odd to see so many babies having some characteristic to their  
parents...  
Although it was barely visible now, he knew that by the end of the year that  
they would start looking very much like them._

_"I think someone needs a nappy change" Parvati announced, picking Benny up  
and smelling his backside. She almost borked at the smell._

_Harry laughed.  
"Millicent has been good enough to do all of those up to yet"_

_Ron shook his head.  
"It's alright for you, you've only got the one" he told his friend, sipping  
on his drink. "Could you imagine trying to do that task when they  
** both** need changing?"_

_Parvati scowled at him.  
"So far that hasn't happened" She almost shouted at him. "And you have yet  
to do a nappy change yourself"_

_Draco looked at both boys, a smirk appearing on his face.  
Had he been the only one to try it?_

_He should have felt embarrassed that he was the only one to have attempted  
it...that it somehow made him weak to have to change a diaper...  
But it made him feel stronger.  
It made him feel better than them, because he had accomplished something  
that they had not._

_"Malfoy's changed Airyn a few times, now" Hermione told the group._

_All eyes looked at him, most of them in shock._

_He noticed Weasley's stare the most though.  
Utter loathing...but did he expect anything less?_

_"Thanks for announcing that, Granger" Malfoy told her._

_He decided that it would be better to look down at the pram, in which his  
baby was lying down in._

_Still asleep._

_Was that all she did?_

_"I don't suppose you were sick at anytime, were you?" Harry asked him  
casually._

_Malfoy looked up at him.  
Shocked more than anything by the tone in his voice._

_It wasn't full of hate or loathing...it was full of normality..._

_"No...but I felt like heaving a few times"_

_And to his surprise...Potter laughed._

_Not **at **him.  
But **with ** him._

_Hermione smiled to herself.  
This was definitely new.  
And she liked it._

_"Breast feeding is a bitch" Parvati stated._

_All the boys looked at her._

_"Thanks for that" Ron told her._

_"It is" Millicent agreed. "You boys get it easy"_

_Hermione giggled._

_She saw Malfoy glance at her, from the corner of her eye._

_For some reason he liked it when she laughed.  
He couldn't think why...but he did._

_"Well, you try bottle feeding..." Ron told her. "There's no maternal instinct  
there, at all"_

_Draco had to agree with that.  
That was true._

_When Airyn needed to be fed at night, he dreaded it.  
Last night, it took him almost an hour to get her to take her milk._

_For the first time, he had found it absolutely exhausting.  
The thing that spurred him on was knowing that it would eventually get  
better..._

_At least he hoped it would._

_He just didn't feel like he could bond with her whilst he was feeding her.  
Maybe it was because Granger had bonded with her because she had the breasts  
for the milk...but it wasn't as if he could grow any..._

_Maybe this was how all dads felt.  
Wondering why the bond between mother and child was so strong..._

_Well, Draco would just have to bond in a different way..._

_ **'And spoil her rotten'** he thought, smirking to himself._

_The door to the Three Broomsticks suddenly burst open, bringing in a flurry  
of wind.  
Hermione hugged her cloak tight around her body._

_"There they are" Came a voice from the door._

_It was Luna, Seamus and Neville...who was on his own._

_Draco frowned slightly.  
Trust Pansy to not want to take her responsibilities seriously._

_The three students walked towards the table, and then brought chairs around  
it to sit on._

_Neville began bouncing his baby on his knee.  
"He loves it when I do this" He announced. "Its the only time when he  
doesn't cry"_

_"What did Pansy call him, in the end?" Draco asked, seeing eyes glance at  
him.  
Obviously a few of them were still finding it awkward that he was sat there._

_Neville looked up at him.  
"Well, Pansy wanted to call him '**Oi' **" He answered, shaking his head  
in disgust. "But I called him Bert, after my great-great Grandfather"_

_Draco smirked to himself._

_** 'Poor Bert...'** _

_Hermione smiled when she saw Luna holding her baby in her arms.  
Small blonde hairs on her head, and those same big round eyes that her  
mother had._

_"This is Antonia" Luna announced to her friends, showing them the baby in  
her arms._

_Then she noticed Draco sitting at the table with them._

_"This is odd" She said, still looking at Draco. "I didn't expect to see you  
here..."_

_Then she beamed at him._

_"But it's nice that you are"_

_Draco put his head down to the floor.  
What **was ** he doing here?_

_Was he there because he wanted to be with his daughter?  
Or was he there because Granger had asked him?_

_This time last month; if anyone would have told him that he would be sat  
there making small talk with Potty, he would most probably have cursed them  
on sight... _

_But now..._

_Well, now he found himself sat there taking everything in for the first  
time.  
The closeness of the whole group...the way they responded to  
each other...they were all so fond of each other._

_Draco had nothing like that.  
On a good day, he had Blaise to keep him company...and that conversation  
seemed forced at the best of times._

_But these people seemed to flow with each other.  
They knew what each other liked, and what they didn't like..._

_And to his surprise, he realised that he may have been a little jealous of  
it._

_He had never really b belonged /b anywhere before...not even to his own  
family.  
Draco had been lead to believe that Malfoy's did not need to belong  
anywhere...all they needed was their brains, their money and their power._

_At the moment, Draco was beginning to realise just how wrong his father had  
been._

_"-thats a great idea" Hermione said beside him._

_She looked at him with a small smile.  
"Do you want to?"_

_Draco frowned.  
He hadn't been listening to the conversation for a good five minutes..._

_"Er..." He said hesitantly, looking around him and finding everyone looking  
at him. "...Sure?"_

_Hermione smiled widely at him._

_Suddenly everyone was putting their children back into their prams and  
moving away from the table._

_Draco looked at Granger anxiously.  
"Where are we going?"_

_She frowned at him.  
"Everyone decided - including you - to go back to Ron and Parvati's  
Apartment for a baby party"_

_Draco's eyes went wide._

_** 'Note to self...remember never to agree with anyone, ever again...' **_

** E N D F L A S H B A C K**

...And he was still sat there, now.

In the end; the girls had scampered off to Parvati's room with Neville to  
talk about feeding their babies...

It seemed odd that Neville had decided to join them...but at the end of the  
day, he was about as clueless as Pansy was, so he needed all the help he  
could get.

Which left Draco with Potter, Seamus and Weasley.

Which was hilarious, if he thought about it ironically.

But what was even more ironic was the fact that he was actually helping them  
to change their kids...and it made him feel all the more aware of just how  
out of control he was with his emotions...

Who would have thought it?  
Draco, teaching Potter and Weasley how to clean shit off their babies  
bottoms...

Damned near unthinkable!

A door opened at one end of the apartment, as the girls and Neville stepped  
out of the room.

"I'm off" Neville announced, carrying his baby in both arms awkwardly. "I  
need to set a regular bedtime pattern for him, or he just ends up waking up  
every five minutes"

Harry finished with Freddie's nappy, and began to dress him.  
Millicent walked over to him and beamed.

"Do you mean to tell me that you have actually changed a diaper?!"

Harry smiled up at her, looking a little embarrassed.

Ron was still struggling with his.  
"It won't attach!"

Draco looked over Weasley's shoulder, to find him in a mess of all sorts.

He rolled his eyes.  
"Here" he said finally, nudging Ron in the shoulder and taking charge. "This  
tag here needs to attach to this part here..."

Hermione watched him in amazement.  
Not one fight.  
Not one cuss word...

I'll bet, there were a few glares and phrases they had thrown each other now  
and then throughout the day...but other than that, Malfoy had been  
absolutely unlike his usual self around her friends.

Hermione looked down at Airyn.  
She would need her feed again soon.

"Are you ready, Malfoy?" She asked the blond, who was sitting on the floor  
with Ron.

He looked over at her, smiling slightly.  
"Yeah" He told her. "Just give me a minute; Weasley has twisted this bloody  
thing into all sorts of knots"

Ron frowned.  
"I didn't realise it was inside out"

Hermione sniggered.

"We're going to get going" Harry announced, getting up from the floor and  
hand Freddie to Millicent.

"Us, too" Seamus told everyone, picking up the baby bag as Luna wheeled the  
pram out of the apartment.

Soon there was only Herself and Malfoy left to leave.

"I'm putting Joon to bed" Parvati announced, walking into the room in between  
her own and Ron's. "When you're done messing around with Benny, you can put  
him down for the night"

Ron looked at the masterpiece he had just achieved.  
"Brilliant" He said triumphantly.

Malfoy smirked.  
Then he took another glance back at Granger, and smiled when he saw her  
looking at him.  
"That's exactly what I thought when I first did it"

Ron studied him for a moment.

Draco noticed that Weasley was looking at him, and turned back around to  
face him.

Ron frowned.  
His expression...his eyes...the way his attitude seemed to have changed  
when Hermione was present...

Hermione felt the tension crackle in the air as the two boys stared at  
each other.

And then it was gone.

Malfoy stood up and walked over to Hermione, shuffling her out of the door  
as she said her goodbyes.

Then he looked back at Weasley.

"Don't try and psych me" He said simply, his eyes staring directly into  
Ron's. "I know what you tried to do just now, and I'm not one to let people  
look any further into it than they have to"

But Ron didn't need to look any further.

He knew.

Malfoy had feelings for Hermione.

And jealousy was suddenly biting at his heels.


	19. Chapter 19

**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen**

_'So close no matter how far.  
Couldn't be much more from the heart.  
Forever trusting who we are,  
And nothing else matters_

_Never opened myself this way.  
Life is ours, we live it our way.  
All these words I don't just say,  
And nothing else matters.'_

They walked back to the common room, Malfoy's hand resting on her lower back  
as they walked.

Something had just happened back there...but she wasn't sure what.

"Thank you" She said suddenly.  
She realised she had never spoken them words to him before.

He looked at her curiously, his hand on her back still guiding her along the  
corridors.  
"For what?"

She looked up at him and smiled slightly.  
"For pretending to get along with my friends"

He wasn't quite sure what to say to that.  
"Yeah" He said, not looking at her. "You're welcome"

_Was _ he pretending, or had he actually enjoyed himself?  
This was a whole new kettle of fish for Draco...and he wasn't too sure how  
he was supposed to handle it.

Hermione could still feel his hand on her back.  
She didn't dislike it, because somehow it made her feel safe.

_ 'Draco Malfoy makes you feel safe?'_ Her brain asked her quizzically.  
_'Bloody hell, Hermione! What's happening to you?'_

She didn't know.

They stopped walking once they got to their common room entrance.

Draco said the password and they walked inside; Hermione instantly sat down  
on the couch and started unbuttoning her top.

Draco felt that pang of suppressed lust when she popped her breast out of her  
bra.  
Yet again, he was unsure of where to look.  
So he stood there beside one of the chairs, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"You don't have to stay down here while I'm doing this, if you don't want  
to" She told him, looking up at him whilst she held the child to her breast.

Draco looked at her.

"I know you don't like it"

He put his eyes to the floor.  
He knew it was quite the opposite.

Then suddenly words came out of his mouth that he never expected.  
"What does it feel like?" He asked her, still keeping his eyes on the  
patterned floor.

Hermione wasn't expecting that.  
Malfoy?  
Interested in what breast feeding felt like?

"It's..." She started, unsure of what to say. "It's a bit painful, but once  
you get used to it, it isn't so bad"

Draco slowly took a seat on his usual chair, opposite Granger.

"I guess it's better than a bottle, though" He told her, looking at his  
hands in front of him instead. "It's hard to get her to latch onto it...and  
the milk tastes disgusting"

Hermione snorted.  
She couldn't help it.

She looked at him, humour apparent in her eyes.  
"Malfoy...you do realise that it's breast milk in the bottles, don't you?"

Malfoy's eyes snapped up.  
He could see her laughing at him.

A rosy colour was suddenly apparent in his cheeks.

And then his eyes looked exactly where he didn't want them to.  
And those feelings that he was trying to suppress were building inside of him  
even more.

Ashamed of himself, he put his head back down.

"Look at me, Malfoy" Her voice came.

Draco frowned, and then slowly looked up at her.

And instead of the angry face he thought he was going to see for looking in  
on something so private...  
He saw a small smile on her lips.

"It's ok to look" She told him. "I'm sure there's nothing here that you  
haven't seen before"

Draco wanted to retort...  
tell her that there was no way he had seen something so pure before...so  
innocent...  
So innocent and yet so tantalizing to him at the same time.

He needed to change the subject.  
"It's my room tonight, Granger"

She nodded.  
Obviously their previous conversation was a little too delicate for him.

After she had finished feeding Airyn, she got up from the couch and started  
doing her usual _pacing-round-the-room_ whilst winding the baby.

Draco just sat back on the chair and watched her.  
Watched the way she seemed so determined to do everything...  
watched the way her hair flicked from side to side as she paced.

Watched the way her rounded bottom moved every time she paced away from him-

_'Draco!'_ He scolded himself.  
None of this was doing any good for his hormones.

Hermione could feel his eyes on her.  
She tried to ignore it, but lately there was some kind of tension between  
them whenever they were alone together.

She had tried to put it down to hormones...but after today's performance  
from him, she wasn't quite sure.

Airyn was suddenly sick on her bib, on Hermione's shoulder.

Draco wrinkled his nose.  
That was definitely one of the lesser things he enjoyed...that, and changing  
shitty nappies.

"I think she might settle down better, tonight" Hermione told him, taking  
Airyn down from her shoulder and wiping the sick from her mouth.

Draco hoped so...  
It was getting very demanding, getting up at all of the ungodly hours in the  
morning.  
Not that he would have changed it for the world.

"There are some baby grows in my room she can sleep in" He told her, getting  
up from the chair and holding out his arms.

Hermione was used to handing over her daughter every night.  
Just like the first night, when Malfoy had taken her to bed.  
He had done it ever since...

Hermione didn't begrudge him because of it...for some reason, she liked the  
way he wanted to take charge of the bedtime situation.

"Come on" He said quietly to the baby. "Bedtime"

Hermione smiled to herself.  
There was something about the way he spoke to her...  
His voice was so soft...and he really didn't care.

As always, Hermione followed him up the stairs, towards his rooms.  
She had been up there a few times now, but she always seemed to feel very  
self conscious while she was up there.

Everything was Green and silver.  
House colours, obviously.

But that wasn't what made her feel like she had to keep her distance.  
It was the way he was when he was up there...he felt at home there...he  
could be himself up there.

Draco went straight over to the moses basket, keeping it directly next to  
his large bed.  
Whenever Airyn slept in his room, he felt the need to be as close to her as  
possible. So since the first time she had slept in his room, he had put the  
basked as close to him as he could.

He laid her down in it, admiring the way her bright baby blues looked at him  
tiredly.  
He slowly took her out of her pale pink babygrow, and began placing a new  
nappy and new babygrow on her small body.

Hermione had now seen him do this so many times...and she still couldn't get  
over it.  
He was completely at ease with his feelings for Airyn now...and although she  
hadn't seen him with his Slytherin friends yet, she knew that he wouldn't  
falter his behaviour towards his daughter.

His love seemed unconditional.

"Say: _Night night, Daddy_ " He said quietly in his soft voice, looking  
adoringly into the moses basket.

Hermione walked closer until she was sat next to him on his bed, looking  
into the basket herself.

Airyn opened her eyes every now and again, still wanting to know what was  
going on around her.

Hermione leaned in and gave her a kiss on her tiny forehead.  
"Night, Cutie" She whispered.

Draco kept looking from Airyn, and then to Granger.  
It was funny how their little 'family' was working out...he loved his little  
girl to bits...and now he was feeling something towards her mother...

"She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping" Hermione pondered, more to  
herself than Malfoy.

He smiled at her.  
"It's just when she opens her gob...that's when the problems start"

Hermione laughed.  
Yes...they could definitely do without the crying...

"I remember watching her the first day she was born" he told her, not really  
realising he was saying it out loud. "I sat there for hours just watching her  
sleep...I couldn't take my eyes off her"

Hermione looked at him curiously.  
"I thought you had only just arrived when I woke up?"

Draco's head snapped up to look her dead in the eye.  
Why had he just admitted something that he wanted to remain a secret  
forever?  
Did he do it intentionally to see what she would say? Or did the words come  
out because he was totally lost in his thoughts about his beautiful baby  
girl?

He knew the answer to that, and it wasn't the latter.

"No, Granger" He told her innocently.  
He put head down into his hands, trying to think of the best way to admit  
it. "I stayed even though you fell asleep...I just wanted to look at her..."

Hermione was still in shock.  
She did have an inkling that something else had happened, but she put it  
down to her _wanting _ him to have stayed...she didn't actually believe  
that he did.

But she did now.

She took in his posture; sat on the bed, elbows resting on his knees and his  
head in his hands.  
She had honestly never seen him sat in this position before.  
It made him look weak...and she had never seen Draco Malfoy weak...

Hermione hesitantly reached out her hand and touched the arm that was  
closest to her.  
"You don't have to be embarrassed" She told him. "I think everyone is  
feeling uncomfortable when it comes to how they feel about their newborns...no one is really sure how to act"

Draco could feel the warmth of her hand on his forearm.  
It sent little ripples of pleasure through him, knowing that she would want  
to touch him on her own accord.

"It's not just that" He admitted, rubbing his face with his hands before  
looking up at her. "It's everything that's going on now...everything is  
changing for me"

Hermione looked down at her hand as it seemed to be making little patterns  
on his skin with her fingertips.  
She could feel the bicep beneath the skin...not too big, but not small  
enough to not know it was there...

She wanted to ask him so many questions, but when her gaze traveled up to  
his eyes, she couldn't think anymore.

Draco couldn't take his eyes off her.  
For some reason, over the past few days he had found himself trying to fight  
this sudden surge of lust that had come upon him...he wondered whether it  
was because of Airyn...

But he knew he would only be in denial if he carried on thinking like that.

He was attracted to the girl...it was as plain and _not-so-simple_ as  
that.

And why?  
Why was he so attracted to her?

Was it a sudden awakening of feelings?  
or had they been there all along, and never been allowed to surface?

...He knew that both he and half of the population of the school could  
probably answer that one.

Hermione could feel his body heat as he sat next to her.  
She had found it harder to look at him lately...as if letting him see into  
her would show him something that she wanted to keep hidden...

What was she going to do?

And why was she still sitting there?

Hermione stood up from the bed rapidly, and then turned to walk around the  
other side of it.

But his hand stopped her.

She turned around to find him standing there beside the moses basket, his  
eyes looking into hers with an emotion that she didn't think she had seen  
before...

Not since that night.

Draco wasn't sure what his body was doing...but his mind was telling him to  
go with it.

Hermione looked down at his hand, clasped around her wrist.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, not wanting to look into his eyes.

She felt his body move closer to hers.  
Felt his finger tips relax slightly against her delicate wrist.

He hadn't meant to startle her, but his sudden rush of emotions had told him  
to stop her before she walked away.

"I need to do something" He told her simply.

He was standing right in front of her now, his lean body a few inches from  
her own.

She looked up at him then.  
"What?"

His eyes were trying to tell her something.  
He could feel the heat of her body again...his own getting desperate to feel  
her against him.

"I just need to see..." He told her, the hand that had held her wrist had  
suddenly come up to her face.  
He brushed his thumb across her cheek experimentally, hoping that she would  
let him.

Hermione knew this wasn't right.  
But she couldn't move.  
And she didn't want to.

She felt a shiver go right through her as Malfoy gently placed his palm  
against her cheek, still rubbing his thumb against it in small circles.

What was happening to him?

What was happening to _her_?

What had happened to the days when she wished it was Ron that was holding  
her like this?  
For some reason, it seemed all so long ago now...  
So much had taken place and changed her emotions since then...

Draco took in her appearance.  
Her cheeks were starting to flush slightly, and she had closed her eyes as  
his palm came in contact with the smooth skin of her left cheek.

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to do when she felt him pull her flush  
against him.  
Her eyes snapped open and instantly sort his out.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, feeling his right arm slowly winding  
its way around to the middle of her back, whilst his left hand continued to  
smooth her cheek slowly.

Draco looked deep into her eyes.  
For once, he didn't care what she saw inside his.  
He would let her see the lust that was causing havoc with his hormones...  
He would let her see it because she had been the one to cause it.

"I'm going crazy" He told her, before giving in and capturing her mouth with  
his.

Hermione took a few moments to realise what was happening.  
When she felt Malfoy's warm lips against her own, she moaned against her  
will.

Draco nibbled her bottom lip, kissed it and sucked it into his mouth.  
Then he felt her giving in and opening up to him.

Hermione felt his tongue wind around her's smoothly, searching the crevices  
of her mouth...wanting to taste every last bit of her. She fought back with  
him experimentally, liking the way he nipped at her lips with his teeth.

Draco almost moaned when he noticed Granger's arms winding around his neck,  
bringing them even closer to each other. He felt one of her hands reach up to  
his hair, grabbing a handful of it to bring their mouths together more  
forcefully.  
He could have swore that he was going dizzy from the taste of her.

Hermione noticed how close their bodies were now.  
She was pressed firmly against him, both of his arms wound around her...one  
now on her bottom and the one reaching up to wind its fingers through her  
tousled hair.  
She knew he had made the right move by putting her hand in his hair...it  
felt soft to the touch, and she couldn't get enough of it.

Draco suddenly withdrew from her mouth, and dove further down for her neck.  
He kissed the sensitive area at the nape, and then under her chin, before  
going for the smooth skin just above the shoulder blades.

_"Oh..."_ Hermione gasped, feeling herself grow wet, against her better  
judgment.

If they didn't stop now, then they were going to be in _big_ trouble...  
But at this moment, she didn't care.

As he carried on kissing her neck, he could hear her breathing grow  
deeper...and then he heard her moan.  
And it was enough to cause the erection that was now tenting his pants.

Hermione moved experimentally against it, her mind not fully focusing on  
exactly what she was rubbing against.  
He wasn't too much taller than her, and so it rested on her lower stomach.

Then she heard him moan.  
_ "Shit..."_  
And she was lost.

Draco brought his lips back to hers, more forcefully this time.  
Their lips fought for dominance, their tongues clashing rhythmically  
together, trying to win the battle.  
Hermione felt herself being propelled backwards, and her back suddenly hit  
one of the wooden pillars that held up Malfoy's four-poster bed.

Draco leaned into her, loving the way her breasts felt against his chest,  
even through the fabric of their shirts.  
Still kissing her passionately, Draco put one of his legs between hers and  
separated them.

Hermione felt her clit throb when she felt his strong thigh in between her  
own.  
Her lust had now finally taken over her senses, and all she wanted to do  
feel was him.

Wasn't this experience supposed to be shared with someone that she felt  
deserved it?  
Hadn't she thought that Ron would be the first to share this with her?  
She now found herself pushing that thought out of her brain, her need for a  
strange sense of release being the first thought on her mind.

He ground his thigh against her.

"Please..." She breathed, as he pulled back and started kissing her neck  
again.

"Please, what?" He asked her between kisses as he ravished her collarbone.

Hermione's hands traveled down his body slowly, putting away the little  
niggling feeling in the back of her mind that told her she shouldn't be  
doing this...

Draco groaned against her skin when he felt her hands squeeze his ass;  
bringing his leg closer to her now moist centre.  
He could feel her need through the fabric of his pants, and it was killing  
him.

"I need..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

As if he had read her mind, Draco suddenly brought one of his arms down to  
her outer thigh, and lifted the back of her knee gently as he slowly hoist  
it up and onto his own hip.  
He felt her tremble as she felt their position move.

It was far more intimate now...she could feel his erection up close and  
personal...and it was seeking out her centre through his pants.

Hermione looked into his eyes as he looked at her.  
Passion with such intensity, that she knew it was a good job he had trapped  
her against the post...the look on his face would have made her melt into a  
puddle on the floor otherwise.

He suddenly looked serious.  
But he needed to know.  
There was no use going here if they were going to tip-toe around each other  
afterwards...

"Do you want this?" He asked he quietly, the tip of his nose touching hers.  
His hand was stroking the area at the back of her leg as he held it  
there...feeling the smooth skin on his fingertips.

Her was answered by a bold thrust of her hips towards his.  
And it was all he could do to not throw her onto the bed and take her right  
there.

Hermione didn't know what she was doing.  
Maybe it was lust...maybe it was the thought of this being her first time to  
do anything as intimate as this...

Or maybe it was because she had never realised just how passionate Draco  
Malfoy could be...

Hermione did the only thing she could think of when she looked at his  
face...seeing his own reserves melting in front of her...

She kissed him soundly on the mouth...  
A slow and tantalizing kiss that seemed to last forever.

She felt him thrust his hips against her again, and she held back the small  
growl that was threatening to escape from her mouth.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head however, when she felt his other  
hand slowly making its way up her shirt...working its way underneath the  
fabric, to feel the hot skin beneath it.

Draco's fingers inched up until he felt the small mound of her breast  
through her bra.  
Experimentally, he thumbed the erect nipple that was betraying Hermione's  
lustful state, hearing her breath become even more ragged as she fought to  
keep her groans from escaping her thoroughly kissed lips -

_"'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'"_

Draco's head shot up immediately.

His head frazzled from lust; he didn't even register where the sound was  
coming from...

"Oh, god!" Hermione shouted.

How could she forget?

Draco looked at her.  
He suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Hermione understood why.

In the midst of everything, they had forgotten the one thing they shouldn't  
have;

_ 'Airyn...'_

Hermione suddenly couldn't look at him.

_'Oh god...'_ she thought to herself, her logic suddenly returning to  
her. _''What have I done...?'_

In Draco's head, he was rethinking the whole situation...

_'Well...at least I got my answer'_ He thought to himself. _ 'It's not  
just a passing fancy...'_

And he knew that because of that answer, he would never be the same again.


	20. Chapter 20

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty**

_' I can't be something I'm not,  
so please don't throw away what we've got.  
You know that I love you,  
there's no one above you.  
I said it the last time,  
this is the last time.'_

December had approached Hogwarts.

While most of the students were out throwing snowballs and joining in with  
the Christmas festivities, the Seventh years were busy organising their  
Holiday schedule so they knew who would get custody of the child and when.

As it stood, most of the student's had decided to 'floo' with their babies  
to one another's houses.  
It worked out easier this way, as they could drop in on each other whenever  
they needed to extra help.

Hermione and Draco were having bigger problems, however.

McGonagall had discussed it all with them.  
But they really didn't see her point.

Hermione knew it was the most logical solution...but considering what had  
transpired between them almost a week ago, she knew that neither of them  
could be trusted to be responsible.

Since that night, Hermione had thought about it all the time.  
She felt disgusted with herself...  
She was being trusted to be sensible...not give into her urges with the head  
boy!

But the disgust didn't exactly stem from the duties that she was currently  
undertaking...  
It was the fact that she _wanted _ it to happen that night...and she  
knew she would probably want it again...

_' You shouldn't be having lustful urges for Malfoy...He might be a lot  
better now than what he was, but that still doesn't dismiss the fact that  
you're not concentrating solely on the Project and Airyn...'_

But she knew she couldn't help it.  
Something had now awakened inside of her, and all she could think about was  
how his lips felt against hers...

Draco sat there trying to listen to what McGonagall was saying; holding  
Airyn on his knee and bouncing her a little without realising it.  
He couldn't take a word in that she was saying...he was too busy noticing  
Granger's insufferable body heat next to him.

Again; they hadn't addressed their recent problem.  
He knew that the inevitable day would come when they would have to face up  
to what was happening to them...but at the moment it was almost as if they  
were trying not to mention it.  
It seemed like a more comfortable atmosphere when they were just simply  
looking after Airyn.

Every now and again he knew that Granger could feel the lingering glances he  
would give her across the classroom, and he similarly could feel her's,  
too...they were leaving scorch marks on his skin...just like her hands had  
done when she had touched him in the most innocent places...

Innocent places; impure touches...

He knew it was better to try and ignore it. After all, this was not the  
predicament that every other student found themselves in...

But whenever he was alone in the comfort of his own room, he kept going  
through it in his mind...

The way she felt.  
The way she kissed him...the way her body reacted to his, against her own  
will.

Draco had to snap himself back into reality when he noticed McGonagall  
looking at him curiously.

"I think this is the most sensible solution" She finally told them, as they  
sat at her desk in her office.

"Are you sure there is no other way?" Hermione asked her.

The professor looked at her sympathetically.  
"Not unless either of you like the idea of not seeing your daughter for the  
duration of the holidays..."

Hermione sighed.  
No, she didn't like the idea of that at all, and she was pretty sure that  
Malfoy would rather chew off his own arm than let Hermione take care of  
Airyn for two weeks without him.

"Ok" Hermione agreed. "But I will have to let my parents know"

McGonagall gave her a small smile.  
"Let the school take care of that, Miss.Granger" She told her. "If we send  
out an official letter, it is unlikely that your mother and father will have  
any reserves"

Draco suddenly felt African butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

...He was going to Granger's house for Christmas...

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"Where are you going?"

"To my common room"

Hermione looked at him anxiously.  
"Are you taking Airyn?"

Draco nodded, looking down at the baby in question.  
"They've not seen her yet...I think they will be pleasantly surprised"

"Don't be too long" She told him as they stopped walking in the middle of  
the corridor.  
She bent her head down and kissed Airyn's forehead.  
When she brought her head back up, she realised just how close to Malfoy's  
face she was.

He kept looking at her lips as she looked at him, desperate to put his own  
on top of them.

Hermione could feel that urge again...but she couldn't let it happen, not  
this time.

Last time it seemed so right, and yet she knew it was wrong.  
They were supposed to be looking after their daughter, not looking after  
their own personal issues of lust.

Hermione snapped her eyes away from his.  
Maybe if she didn't look at him so much, she might not get those betraying  
feelings that her body seemed to be having more of lately.

Draco noticed the look in her eyes.

She was ashamed.

And it killed him.

Draco's face suddenly held a snarl.  
Hermione had not seen a look that harsh on his features for a long time...

"I'll see you later, Granger" he told her, as he turned on his heel and  
walked away with their baby.

Hermione looked at his retreating back.  
Had he walked away because he was angry with her?  
Or was he angry with himself?

Hermione knew that it was dangerous.  
They should never had kissed...it only seemed to open a can of worms that  
neither of them were ready for...  
Not yet, anyway.

Hermione strolled along the corridor, walking past the other students as  
they were full of festive cheer.  
There was only a week to go until the school holiday's were upon them...and  
suddenly Hermione was wishing that they would not come at all.

So Malfoy was going to be living in her house for two weeks?

Was there really no other way around it?

_ 'Of course there isn't'_ Her brain told her matter of factly. _'You  
don't have a floo network in your fireplace, and it is unlikely that Malfoy's  
mum and dad would welcome you coming into their Manor...'_

So maybe it was the most sensible option...  
But she still felt uneasy about it.

It would mean that they would be around each other all the time.  
Her mum and dad would get to know him...  
Which scared her, because she had a feeling that they might not take kindly  
to a boy sleeping in their house for the next two weeks...

They knew briefly about the Baby Project...she had told them about it in a  
letter.  
They had expressed their concerns, but when Hermione had told them that the  
Professors were taking every precaution necessary, they had relaxed a little  
about the idea.

Hermione kept walking until she found herself heading towards the Gryffindor  
common room.  
The portrait of the fat lady swung open, and Hermione stepped through.

Ron saw her first.  
He was sat there feeding Joon on his knee, when he gave her a huge smile.

Hermione smiled back.  
But she noticed oddly that her stomach didn't twinge like it used to when  
Ron looked at her.  
...Something was deeply wrong...

"Hey, Hermione!" Ginny shouted suddenly, she walked up to her friend and  
hugged her. "I feel like I haven't seen you in a while!"

Hermione laughed.  
"That's because you haven't"

Ginny pulled back from her friend, and the frowned.  
"Where's Airyn?"

Hermione suddenly felt guilty.  
Ginny had only glimpsed at her daughter so far, and it seemed unfair that  
everyone else had gotten a good look, besides one of her best friends.

"Malfoy's taken her to the Slytherin common room" She told Ginny.

Ron's ears pricked up.

"What for?" Ginny asked her curiously.

Hermione shrugged.  
"Probably to show her off, knowing him"

She still couldn't fight that constricting feeling in her chest...whenever  
she thought about Malfoy, she felt like a hand was squeezing her heart...and  
it was even worse now that she thought he was mad at her.

"Trust Malfoy to want to show off the only thing that he's done right in his  
time at Hogwarts" Ron said from his chair, tickling his daughter's stomach as  
she looked up at him.

Hermione said nothing.  
She felt like she was going out of her mind!  
Why was she feeling so bad about the way Malfoy had been with her when he  
walked away?

She felt like she had done something wrong...  
And she hadn't felt like that for along time...

"Come and sit down, 'Mione" Ron told her.

She walked towards the chair that sat opposite Ron.  
"Why are you in here, anyway?" She asked him, expecting him to be with  
Parvati.

"Me and Parvati had words" He told her casually. "Anyway, I needed to get  
away. So I brought the twin that _doesn't _ cry every five minutes to  
keep me company"

Hermione smirked at him.  
Ron never acted well under pressure...  
And it seemed that Parvati was piling it on him lately.  
But what did he expect? With one child it was hard, but with two it  
disastrous!

Especially with Ron.  
She noticed that he didn't seem comfortable with children.  
He held them wrong, and he didn't really pay any attention to them until  
they cried...

Not like Malfoy;  
He was the one attempting to wake Airyn up just so he could play with her  
fingers, or see those beautiful baby blues.

It was a big contrast.

"I hope Airyn's alright in the Slytherin den" Ginny told her, perching on  
the arm of Hermione's chair. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were all  
throwing her around and playing 'catch' with her..."

Hermione felt an odd pang in her stomach.

She sincerely hoped Ginny was exaggerating.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"She's so cute!"

"She's so adorable!"

"She looks exactly like her father!"

Draco couldn't help the smile of pride that he wore on his face.  
And rightly so, too.  
His baby was gorgeous and he just had to show her off to whoever wanted to  
see her.

Miranda Hodge was the first to compliment him.  
She had gushed over Airyn...who had sat there on her Daddy's knee, looking  
up with her big blue eyes.  
Draco was sure that she was going to attract all the attention as soon as  
they had entered the room...

Nothing like a gang of gaggling girls to take his mind off another one.

It was driving him crazy.  
Since that night they had kissed, all he wanted to do was grab her and do it  
allover again...  
But that look on her face before had put all sorts of doubt into his mind.

What exactly was she thinking now?  
Was she regretting it?  
Or was she regretting the fact that she didn't regret it?

_'Note to self...Don't think so much...'_

"I see that Fatherhood is suiting you pleasantly?"

Draco looked up amidst the crowd of girls to see Blaise standing there,  
complete with his own miniature Zabini.

He smirked at his old friend.  
"And I take it your feeling the same way?"

Blaise made his way through the crowd, who also started admiring his baby,  
too.

A few of the Fifth year girls were discussing how exciting it will be to get to  
seventh year and be able to go through the whole experience themselves.

Blaise sat down next to Draco, and the girls carried on their cooing.  
He couldn't help but laugh.

Why were girls so hormone driven when it came to babies?

Draco rolled his eyes as one of the girls pinched Airyn's cheeks, and caused  
his daughter to whimper slightly.  
Now getting bored, Draco put Airyn's head on his shoulder to hide her from  
view.

The girls suddenly got the hint and diverted their attention elsewhere  
around the room.

"Look at you; defensive father indeed" Blaise smirked at him. He held his  
baby in the air with his arms, smiling when he saw her eyes opening. "This  
is Mildred"

Draco looked for a moment.  
The little girl had Blaise's features, including the dark hair and skin.  
She was quite adorable looking...but nothing could compare to his own child,  
of course.

"Very nice..." He said, before looking back at his own creation.  
She seemed to be sleeping again...her breath tickling his neck slightly.

"Lavender said she needed some sleep, so she let me take over..."

"Was that a wise move?" Draco asked him, smiling at his friend.

Blaise rolled his eyes.  
"Contrary to popular belief, I'm rather adept in holding my own when it  
comes to Mildred"

Draco believed him.  
So far, he had only seen the Slytherin boys (besides Crabbe and Goyle)  
actually holding their own in anything when it came to their children...  
For some reason; beyond the cold exterior of the Green and Silver  
impression, lay a gentle inner core that seemed to reach out to the babies  
more than any other house.

Draco saw Pansy out of the corner of her eye.  
She looked lost.

He looked over at her curiously.  
She was standing my the Common Room door, staring into space.

"She's been down lately" Blaise told him. "Everyone's been getting at her  
for not wanting to be around her baby"

"Well, it's her own fault shes down, then" Draco told him.

He kept his eyes on her.  
If it was possible, Pansy looked sad.

"Technically, its not her fault..." Blaise continued. "I actually questioned  
her about it yesterday, and she ended up crying on my shoulder for an hour  
about it..."

Draco snorted.  
"Typical"

"She's got post-natal depression"

Draco's head snapped to Blaise.  
He suddenly felt terrible.

He had heard Granger talking about that; saying she was glad that she had  
bonded with Airyn.  
She had said that she didn't think she could bare it if she didn't want to  
hold her all the time.

"I think McGonagall is sorting it out with her and Longbottom..." Blaise  
added. "...Apparently that's why we've been seeing him with the baby more  
often than we have seen Pansy"

Draco chanced another look at her.  
She was an annoying bitch, but she didn't deserve anything like this.  
To not want to bond with her baby?  
To not want to feel what it's like to hold another human being in your arms  
and feel all of the love in the world for it?

No wonder she was looking so ill lately.  
He had thought that it was just the strain of sleepless nights...  
But apparently it had been Longbottom that was having those.

"Anyway" Blaise said casually, changing the conversation. "How are you  
faring with Granger?"

Why was he asking him about Granger?  
Why was he so interested in how himself and Granger were getting on?

Why was Draco being so bloody inquisitive?

Draco shrugged, trying to be casual.  
"As well as can be expected, I suppose"

Blaise wasn't buying it.  
He knew Draco well enough to be able to tell when he was acting.  
But he decided to play along...

"I take it you've found her pleasant side, then?"

Draco looked at him curiously.  
What exactly had he meant by that?

"If by pleasant you mean the part of her that is able to keep control over  
her wide open trap...then yeah"  
Hmm..maybe a little too harsh.

Blaise smirked.  
"I happen to find her knowledge quite endearing, to be honest" He told the  
head boy, leaning Mildred back onto his chest. "She's one of the only  
witches in Gryffindor that I can actually like and dislike all at the same  
time"

Draco nodded in agreement.  
He was definitely right there.

But what did Blaise know?  
As far as he was aware, Blaise had not been up close and personal with  
Granger lately...and he definitely had not found himself in the predicament  
that Draco had.

"I think she's gone quite mature looking" Blaise mused, looking at Draco out  
of the corner of his eye for a reaction. "She's filled out, and her hair is  
actually rather nice to look at now"

Draco couldn't help but be pulled back to that night...his fingertips  
running through those curls...feeling those curves in question up close and  
personal against him...  
Draco had to stop his mind wondering, or he knew he would end up with an  
unwanted friend tenting the front of his pants.

How did she have the power to do this to him?

And now he was going to her house for CHRISTMAS!  
Where he would be in close proximity to her all the time...

His parent's wouldn't be very pleased...they didn't even know about the  
project, or Airyn...either it was time to tell them, or he would have to lie  
and say he was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas dinner...Head Boy duties or  
some bullocks like that.

"Your thinking about her now, aren't you?" Blaise asked him, a smirk playing  
on his lips.

Draco was shocked at the boldness of his question.  
"What do you mean by that?"

But Draco knew that Blaise had seen right through him.

The dark haired boy sighed.  
"So your having feelings for her..." He said casually. "So what? At the end  
of the day, you've been living with her for the past few months...obviously  
your hormones are running wild"

Draco smirked unwillingly.  
If only Blaise knew the full extent of his hormones...

"I've thought about giving Lavender one a few times" Blaise confessed,  
laughing as he did. "It doesn't mean that I will have any long lasting  
feelings for her"

Draco nodded his head.  
He could see where Blaise was coming from...but he just didn't understand.  
Blaise had never had any sort of rivalry with Lavender for the past seven  
years...he hadn't wished her dead on occasion...and he definitely hadn't  
given into any of his newly surfacing, lustful urges...as far as Draco knew,  
anyway.

"It's just Granger" Draco stated, stroking Airyn's back as she still slept  
on his shoulder. "She's just different to what she used to be, that's all"

"So you want to shag her?" Blaise stated, a little louder than he should  
have. "Big deal...you're a teenager, Draco. Get over it"

But the way Draco saw it;  
The only way to get over her, was to get under her...

And that wasn't going to happen for a while.


	21. Chapter 21

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty One**

_ 'Lay a whisper on my pillow,  
leave the winter on the ground.  
I wake up lonely,  
the sound of silence in the bedroom,  
and all around.  
Touch me now  
I close my eyes,  
and dream away._

_It must have been love,  
but it's over now.  
It must have been good,  
but I lost it somehow.  
It must have been love,  
but it's over now.  
From the time that we touched,  
to the time I ran out.'_

"Does Malfoy still take the piss?" Ron asked her, as they took a stroll with  
Benny and Joon in their buggy, around the grounds of the Castle.

The sun had descended now, leaving the moon to shine brightly in it's place.  
The whole of the Castle was covered in white, with snow having fallen within  
the last few days.  
It looked like a winter wonderland.

"Not really" Hermione told him, walking slowly so she wouldn't slip on the  
icy parts of the path. "He's calmed down a hell of a lot...but I guess you  
could see that from the other week when he helped you to change nappies"

Ron didn't really want to think about it.  
Malfoy didn't really help him...just set him along the right path.

"That doesn't change who he is, 'Mione"

Hermione looked over at Ron, seeing his face use that usual expression when  
he was thinking of talking about Malfoy.  
What was all of this about?

"I'm aware of that, Ronald" She told him testily, pulling her winter coat  
further around her.

She was well aware that a few months couldn't change a person's personality  
altogether...  
But she saw Malfoy when no one else was around.

Hell, she had been close enough to him to practically see it in his eyes.  
Those steely, lustful, totally engrossing eyes...

"I'm just saying" He told her, as they walked further away from the School.  
"Just because he shows that he might be capable of change; doesn't mean that  
he will actually come full circle"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She really appreciated Ron being protective of her.  
And under any other circumstances, she would probably take his advice -

_'To please him because you fancied him so damn much!'_

- and keep her distance from Malfoy...but there was just something there  
niggling away at his surface...and she was sure that if she could just keep  
scratching away at it, that some sort of facade would fall away from him,  
and he would prove himself as someone worth fighting for.

_ 'Whoa, Hermione!'_ she thought to herself. _'Malfoy...worth fighting  
for?' _

In the logical - _he's the father of her child and therefore she would  
have to fight for him to stay that way _ - sense...

What a big fat lie.

"Malfoy is coping well" She told her red haired friend, in her own defense  
as well as the Slytherin's. "He might not come full circle, but he's certainly  
doing a one-eighty when it comes to Airyn"

Ron didn't care.  
It was a stupid project...

A stupid project that had opened his eyes.

When he had first been paired with Parvati, he was quite gleeful at the fact  
that he secretly admired her...until she started getting possessive and  
jealous and demanding and everything else that was causing him to dislike  
her more and more lately...

Maybe it was the stress of the twins...  
He didn't really know, but at the moment he knew that his gaze had actually  
gone elsewhere...

And the girl in question was standing right beside him.

It was the day he had seen Hermione and Malfoy in the baby shop in  
Hogsmeade...something seemed to click inside him.  
It was the way Malfoy kept looking at her...the glances he threw at her when  
he thought no one was looking.

Ron had come to realise that Malfoy may have a soft spot for his curly  
haired friend...  
but his curly haired friend belonged to _him _ ...

He had known for a while that Hermione had a crush on him.  
Harry and Ginny had both confessed to him, but Ron didn't want to do  
anything...mainly because he just didn't really feel the same way.

But you know the saying;  
_** You always want what you can't have...**_

And now that she was partnered with Malfoy...that meant that Ron couldn't  
have her.  
So obviously, he wanted her now.

"I just hope you know what you're doing...old ferret face could turn on you  
in a second if you said the wrong thing to him"

Hermione didn't want to admit it to herself, but she knew that Ron could be  
right.  
Today's display on the way out of McGonagall's office had been an example of  
it.

It scared her.  
Would this be where they were heading?  
Thinking they were in one place, and then turning it around so quickly so  
they were in another?

"I know what I'm doing" She told him quietly.

But she knew without a doubt that she didn't.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Draco laughed as her arms splashed around.  
Her legs kicked out at the yellow rubber duck that was trying to swim away  
at the bottom of the baby bath, making agitated quacking noises when the  
water washed over it.

After his little chat with Blaise, he had decided that him and Granger  
needed to have a talk.  
He was shitting himself, obviously.  
Draco and proper adult conversations just didn't happen in the same  
proximity.

He had decided that he needed to get out how he really felt.  
It was the only way that wires weren't going to be crossed  
again...especially since their little episode last week.

But then...if they didn't like each other, then why had everything transpired  
like it had?  
Why was he constantly thinking about her?  
Why was he getting annoyed at her when he didn't think she was feeling  
something for him?

_ 'You're getting in deep, Draco...too deep' /_

He gently wet Airyn's head with the water, loving the way she would blink at  
him with her baby blues...

If only she hadn't of woken up _ that_ night...

But...what if she hadn't?  
Would things be different now?  
Would himself and Granger be going at it like rabbits every five seconds?

He doubted it.

Yes, she had wanted it that night...probably wanted it more than she let on.  
And he would be damned if he didn't want to give it to her...

But the rules of the project strictly stated that they weren't to have  
sex...

Or was that WHILST she was pregnant?  
Well, either way he looked at it, he couldn't have sex with her...not for  
another two to three weeks anyway...she needed time for her body to heal -

_ 'Will you stop thinking that you're actually going to have sex with  
her?!'_ His mind chided him.

He couldn't help it, of course.  
Lately, he found himself sitting there thinking about what it would be like  
to have her underneath him...panting in his ear as he whispered sweet  
nothings into hers, thrusting his cock inside of her over and over again  
until she came with a shattering org-

_ 'DRACO!'_

He was losing his marbles.

_ 'You lost them as soon as you started looking at Granger in that  
way...'_

Draco grabbed the fluffy fushia coloured towel next to the baby bath. He put  
it over one arm and then brought Airyn out of the bath.  
She whimpered slightly as the cold air hit her, but thankfully she didn't  
start crying.

Draco wrapped her in the towel and held her to him.  
She was looking up at him, knowing his face well enough by now to know that  
he was her Daddy...the one man that would love her more than anyone else.

He heard the Common Room door open suddenly;  
She walked through, rubbing her hands together. Her nose was pink and her  
cheeks were rosy...he could tell she had been outside in the cold.

She looked over at him momentarily, wondering if she should speak to him.  
Was he still pissed off at her?  
And if so; why?  
She certainly had no idea.

He looked her up and down, before turning his face back to Airyn and getting  
up from the floor where he had been bathing his baby.

Hermione just stood near the door way and watched him.  
Something was definitely still wrong with him.

Biting the bullet, she raised her voice.  
"Did you take Airyn to the Slytherin common room?"

Draco didn't look at her.  
He just nodded his head and sat on the couch, drying Airyn with the towel  
gently.

Hermion tried again.  
"Was she ok?"

He nodded again.

She began to get frustrated.  
Why was it starting to hurt in her chest? He wouldn't look at her, and  
suddenly she felt bad?  
She felt pathetic.

"Will you just answer me?" She asked him, her voice sounding angry and  
impatient.

He finally looked around at her.  
His face told her nothing. He was a closed book; and he decided that he  
would like to keep it that way.

"She was fine" He told her simply "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"

Hermione didn't quite know what to say to that.  
**Yes;** she trusted him because she knew that he would never let anyone hurt  
one hair on Airyn's head...  
**No;** she didn't trust him because up until these past few months, Malfoy had  
been everything she had loathed about the opposite sex...and now suddenly he  
was everything that she was secretly craving.

Draco finished dressing Airyn on his knee.  
Anything to take off the pressure of looking at her and thinking those  
thoughts that he shouldn't be...especially now that Granger was too  
_ashamed_ to even want to go there...

"I guess I know what your answer is" He said spitefully, standing up with  
Airyn in his arms.  
He walked over to the back of the couch, placing his young daughter in the  
play pen that was situated there with the stuffed animals and the pink  
night-light with the fairy inside of it to give the glow...

"What is all of this?" She asked him accusingly.  
She took her coat off and flung it onto a chair as she passed it, getting  
closer to the blond haired Slytherin.  
"Why are you being so off with me?"

Draco wanted to shout the reason _why_ from the roof tops, but he bit  
his tongue.  
"I'm not being off with you...I'm being my usual self"

Hermione felt her blood boil.  
"Oh, you mean the evil little twat that hung around in your skin before  
Airyn was born?"

Draco glared at her.  
"That's the real me, Granger" He told her defiantly, still keeping his place  
beside the play pen.

"No" Hermione told him accusingly. " _This _Malfoy is nothing but an  
ignorant bastard who cares about no one but himself..." She looked at him  
sadly for a moment, wondering if her words were hurting him as much as they  
were hurting her to say them.  
"The _ real_ Malfoy is the boy who spends all of his time doting on his  
daughter...the real Malfoy is the _man _ that stood before me not one  
week ago"

"Things change" He answered in a snarl, turning his back on her and looking  
down at Airyn.

"No they don't" She told him, taking a tentative step towards him. "Not if you  
don't let them"

"What do you want me to do?" He asked her, his back still facing her. "Shout  
it from the top of the Astronomy Tower? Bloody hell, Granger. So what if  
I've changed a little?"

Hermione felt that familiar invisible hand grip her heart.  
But this time it wasn't because of sadness or guilt...  
It was because he had actually admitted it.

Draco didn't realise what he was saying. Words were just coming out of his  
mouth before he could stop them.  
"What am I supposed to do?" He asked her. "Tell everyone that I've  
completely fallen in love with my daughter?"

He turned around then.  
And she saw the resolve in his eyes.  
He really didn't know what was happening to him.

"I think they've probably guessed that, anyway" He continued, looking  
straight into her eyes. "But what gets me the most, is the fact that I could  
even contemplate having feelings for you-"

Hermione was about to retort angrily, feeling completely affronted by his  
words.  
Was she really that repulsive?

"-It's not easy, you know. I see you standing there; and you're all I seem to  
bloody think about!" He rubbed his face with his hands. "I know it's wrong,  
and I know that neither of us want to feel like this, but I'm at my wits  
end, here..."

Hermione was rooted to the spot.  
Having had time to let his words sink into her brain, she momentarily  
realised.  
He _did _have feelings for her...maybe they were lust-filled  
feelings...but they were there all the same...

On his end, she had put the other night down to hormones, and the lack of  
sex.  
On her end, she had put it down to really hormonally charged horny-ness, and  
the lack of the touch of a boy since Viktor Krum.

And now he was turning it all around on her.

"...And then today, you stood there looking at me like you were ashamed of  
me!" He told her accusingly. "Giving me the evils with your eyes! And for  
some reason, it hurt like a bitch!"

Hermione didn't know what to say.  
Seeing him standing there...letting it all out.  
He felt exactly the same way that she did...but when had she looked at him  
like she was ashamed of him?

She had been ashamed of herself for letting it get this far...they were  
supposed to be concentrating on the Project...

"Will you say something?" His voice was almost pleading with her.

Hermione took a deep breath.  
"What am I supposed to say?"

"Anything" He told her, taking a step closer to her. "As long as I'm not the  
only one talking"

"I'm not ashamed of you" she admitted. she put her head down to the ground,  
not wanting to look at him whilst she made her declaration. "I am ashamed of  
myself because I have let other feelings get in the way of a Project that  
was never meant to turn out the way it has"

Draco studied her for a moment.

"I don't know what this is" She continued. "And I don't think either of us  
will understand it for a very long time..."

She looked up at him suddenly.  
There was a small smile playing on her lips.

"...but when we do, I hope we both make the right choices"

Her words had washed over him without him even really understanding what  
they meant.  
Was she telling him that she felt the same?

"There are no right choices I can see in all of this" He told her  
truthfully. "The only choice I can think of right now is the one my body  
wants me to take...and I know that it definitely isn't the right choice"

Hermione took him in.  
Standing there, breathing hard.  
She could tell he was anxious, he always seemed out of breath and fidgety  
whenever that feeling took over him.

His school robes had been replaced by a plain black t-shirt and a pair of  
loose-fitting, black Muggle jeans.  
His hair - which was usually neatly gelled back to his head - was all messed  
up from his hands being ran through it so many times...probably in  
frustration.

Why were girls such big conundrums?  
Why was she looking at him so intently now?  
If she was ashamed of all of this, then why did she hold that look in her  
eyes?

Hermione wasn't sure what she was doing.  
Her feet were moving towards him on their own accord.

Before she even realised it, she was standing a breath away from Malfoy.  
She looked into his eyes momentarily, seeing the confusing playing there...  
And then she did something she had promised herself that she could not do  
again.

She brought his lips sharply down to her own.

To say that Draco was shocked was an understatement.  
One minute they were at each other throats, and then the next they were at  
each other lips...talk about crossed lines...

Hermione opened her mouth to him almost immediately, feeling that familiar  
twinge of excitement roar through her belly at the thought of being in his  
hold again...  
His muscular arms that were enveloping her as he deepened the kiss ten-fold.

Draco searched the cavern of her mouth, wanting more of her. How was it that  
she could do all this to him, just by kissing him?  
His arms instinctively wrapped around her as he felt her hands go up into  
his hair again, like they had that night.  
She used this new angle to pull him in deeper, whilst Draco pulled their  
bodies closer together more intimately.

Hermione suddenly withdrew from his embrace.  
Draco momentarily wondered where her body heat had gone. He opened his eyes  
and saw her standing there in front of him, her breath coming in quick pants.

He reached for her again, but she backed away.  
She wasn't startled, however. She just reached for his hand and held it  
slightly.

After a moment, Draco realised that she wasn't going to let him kiss her  
again.  
He tried to get his hormones in check before he spoke to her.

"So, what do we do?" He asked her, his breath still trying to catch up with  
him. He sighed slightly from the thought of not knowing what was going to  
happen from here-on-in.

"We just go with it" She told him, also trying to get her breath. "See where  
everything takes us..."

Draco's eyes lit up at the prospect.

He could just see where this would end up taking them...right into his  
bedroom.

"We need to remember that Airyn comes first" She stated. "She has needs  
greater than our own-"

_'I very much doubt that, at the moment'_ He thought to himself  
guiltily.  
But he knew she was right.

"-And we need to do what is best for her"

Draco knew she was right.  
If they wanted to succeed with Airyn, then they had to put their own needs to  
one side and concentrate on their daughter.

_ 'But that doesn't help the hormones that are crawling around inside  
me...'_

But he would bide his time.  
Whatever was happening with himself and Granger would have to develope  
naturally...and if he wanted to see the end product, then he would have to  
obey the rules of engagement...

_ 'Looks like your in it for the long haul, mate...'_

He hated it when his subconscious was right.


	22. Chapter 22

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two**

_ 'I'm not lost,  
I'm not lost.  
Just undiscovered._

_When we're alone,  
we're all the same as each other.  
You see the look thats on my face?  
You might think it's out of place._

_But I'm not lost,  
I'm not lost.  
I'm just undiscovered'_

"She's absolutely gorgeous!"

Hermione gushed.  
She hadn't expected her Mother to be so enthusiastic about having a baby  
around the house again.

She watched as her father cooed into the pram, looking at his  
'Grand-Daughter' for the first time.  
Hermione had expected it to be more awkward...but then, why would it be  
awkward when Airyn hadn't even been conceived naturally?

She broke out of her train of thought when she saw Malfoy appear in the  
doorway, carrying both of their bags.  
She smiled at him as he entered the little house; looking around him at the  
pictures on the walls...noticing that it was nothing like his Manor.

Draco took it all in.  
He hadn't even contemplated that he would be going to be living in a Muggle  
house for the next two weeks...not even when he had been in the car on the  
way here.

It had been a funny old day, really...

**F L A S H B A C K**

_They had both boarded the Hogwarts Express to take their journey home for  
the holiday's.  
Granger had hold of Airyn, and Draco had the pram and the many other bags in  
his hands...so he couldn't exactly complain when she lead him to the  
carriage that her friends were sitting in._

_To his amazement;  
When he had walked through the panels of the carriage, almost all of the  
participants in their seats had said **hello **to him!  
Well...everyone except the two Weasley's..._

_Everyone had made small talk, whilst Longbottom had sat there with his baby  
on his knee...  
Draco suddenly remembered Pansy.  
He wondered if Neville was giving her any type of support, besides taking  
care of Bert..._

_Draco had gotten up from his seat then, making his way towards the closed  
panel doors._

_Hermione had looked at him strangely, but he just gave her a small smiled  
and the disappeared out of the carriage._

_Draco walked along the hallway, looking into every single carriage...until  
he spotted her._

_She sat there, facing the window.  
All on her own..._

_He almost didn't want to disturb her.  
But if he wanted to make his peace, then he had to do it now before  
Christmas..._

_He slowly opened the panel doors and stepped inside.  
To say that she looked surprised to see him was an understatement.  
She smiled at him warmly...almost making him remember why he had liked her  
all those years ago._

_"Hey, you" She said quietly.  
She looked ill._

_Draco nodded at her.  
"How come your in here on your own?"_

_She shrugged, turning back to the window.  
"It seems like a good place to be, right now"_

_Draco took a seat opposite her.  
She seemed so withdrawn...completely pulled into herself._

_"Are you ok, Pansy?" He asked her, looking at her face._

_She looked at him curiously.  
"Why?" _

_Draco tried to tip-toe around the subject.  
"No reason...I just thought that you looked a little down, lately"_

_"Maybe it's not me whose down, Draco" She told him. "Maybe it's you whose  
up..."_

_Well, that could be one explanation.  
But he knew it wasn't the right one._

_"You don't seem like yourself, thats all"_

_She sniggered.  
"Just because I'm not pouncing allover you like a lovesick teenager..." She  
answered, her voice still quiet. "...doesn't mean that I'm not myself"_

_There was no getting through to her.  
But then again, there never was._

_"Blaise told me everything" He admitted, still searching her face; waiting  
for some hidden emotion to show up there._

_Her head suddenly snapped around to look at him.  
If it was possible, her face suddenly went whiter.  
"What did he tell you?"_

_"That your having trouble..er...helping out with Bert-"_

_"Bert?!" She said curiously. "Who the hell is Bert?"_

_"Your child?" Draco told her._

_She really did have problems._

_"Oh..." She remembered. "Yeah...I remember"_

_She just couldn't do it anymore.  
She felt lost and confused when she saw her own baby...did that make her a  
bad Mother?._

_"I'm an Owl Post away if you need me" He told her, giving her a small smile._

_She looked at him hard.  
Since when did Draco Malfoy grow up and become the bigger man?  
This was certainly a new edge...  
Fatherhood suited him right down to the ground._

_"Thank you" She told him honestly._

_And then she jumped into his lap and squeezed him into a tight hug.  
For once, she wasn't holding him just so she could get into his pants...she  
was holding him because she needed to be held herself._

_Draco put his arms around her and squeezed her tight.  
He had known Pansy for many years...at the end of the day, if she wasn't his  
girlfriend then she was almost one of his friends...  
He cared about her like he would Blaise._

_It was funny how it took something as serious as an illness to make him  
realise that._

_And so he held her in his arms, giving her the comfort she needed..._

_But he didn't see the girl looking at him angrily from outside the Carriage  
door..._

**E N D F L A S H B A C K**

...And now here he was.  
It was late afternoon but it was already pitch black outside.

When they had gotten off the train, Draco had watched as Granger said her  
goodbyes to her friends...and their babies.  
It was very surreal; seeing everyone separate and talk about making  
arrangements to 'floo' each other everyday...

Himself and Granger were probably the only ones who would be living in the  
same vicinity together.

The teaching faculty had sent a letter addressed to his family, telling them  
the reason that Draco was not to return to the manor for  
Christmas...apparently they said it had something to do with extra  
curricular activities...whatever that meant.

What it did mean, however was the fact that Draco was not freely allowed to  
enjoy his holiday with his daughter and the presence of the head girl..or  
whatever she was to him lately.

Granger had found her Mother first.  
She was a fairly short woman, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes...her hair  
flicked out from her head, making her look like the Queen of Hearts from  
those Muggle playing cards.

Her father was quite different, however.  
Very tall...and he had his daughter's hair.  
His mustache was finely combed, and he had glasses which reminded him of  
Potter.

Draco had not really seen how they could create a daughter like Granger...  
She didn't look like either of them, if he was honest.

"This is Mal-" Her parents looked at her strangely. "Draco Malfoy"

Mr.Granger's hand protruded from his side instantly.  
"Hello Draco, I am Paul granger"

Draco shook his hand hesitantly.  
He looked at Granger as she smiled at him.

"I'm Janet" Granger's mum told him, smiling at him warmly.

Granger had her mothers smile...so there was one similarity.

"Thank you for letting me stay on such short notice" He told them both as  
they made their way out of the station, towards the carpark.

"No trouble at all, Draco" Paul told him casually, deactivating the car  
alarm as they approached the Metro.

It wasn't a big car...  
And it wasn't expensive looking...  
But Draco found it endearing all the same.

All his life, Draco had been told that he needed to have the biggest and the  
best of everything...but when he saw these people making do with what they  
had...  
It was enough to make his own ideals incomparable.

"Awwww, mum!" Hermione gushed from beside him. "You didn't have to!"

Draco looked at where she was looking inside the car.

"Nonsense, you want your baby to be safe, don't you?"

A baby seat.  
A little pink baby seat..fit for his little Princess.

Hermione plucked Airyn from her pram and then placed her in her baby seat.  
Hermione cooed at her sat there.  
Draco had dressed her this morning; A little white T-shirt with wooly sheep  
on it, tiny little baby jeans, with tiny pink socks to keep her feet warm.  
He had protested when Granger had made him put the thick jump suit over the  
top of it to keep her warm when she was outside...she looked so adorable in  
her little outfit that it was almost ashame to hide it.

The pink little bobble hat had topped off the outfit.  
And now she sat there; snug as a bug. Looking around with her big blue eyes  
at everything going on around her.

"Get in" Hermione told Malfoy cheerfully.

He gingerly bent over to dive inside the car.  
Hermione was very tempted to smack his arse...but thought better of it...who  
knew where that would lead.

The journey to the Granger home was uneventful...and yet very eventful at  
the same time.  
Driving through Muggle London, it was easy to see why Muggle's had to make  
do with what the had.  
There were no brooms in sight, and every now and again Draco could see old  
aged people driving around on wheel chairs that somehow moved on their own  
accord...weird...

Paul Granger looked into his rearview mirror.  
He could see the young Malfoy looking out of the window avidly.  
So this was the boy that his Hermione had been prattling on about for the  
past Seven years? The one who used to torment her to her wits end?

He looked like butter that wouldn't melt.

"How's it going then, sweetpea?" He asked Hermione as he glanced at her in  
the mirror.

She looked up at his eyes reflecting in the mirror.  
"Not too bad...we're both exhausted, but I guess it has been worth it"

Hermione held on to her little girl's hand.  
In the back of the car sat Draco on the right hand side...Airyn in the  
middle seat in her baby chair...and then Hermione on the left behind the  
front passenger seat, where her Mother was sat.

"I think it's a bit harsh to make you do it all full time, though" Janet had  
cut in at her muse. "And I can't believe they made you go through child  
birth!"

Hermione shrugged.  
"Well, if they wanted us to learn the hard way, then they have certainly  
gone about it in the right way"

Draco smirked.  
That was definitely true.  
At the beginning he had got it into his head that this whole thing would be  
a doddle...but now he knew the blatant truth, and he wasn't afraid to admit  
it.

The rest of the journey had been quiet.  
Everyone seemed to be buried deep within their own thoughts.

When the car had pulled up at the small house in a tiny street in the middle  
of the suburbs, Draco had to take a second glance at his surroundings.  
Everything was so unlike his own home...so small and simple.

He was still sat inside of the car when the rest of its occupants had  
decided to vacate it.  
He only made a move when he saw Granger lifting their child out of her baby  
seat.

She smiled at him momentarily.  
"Come on, my Dad wants to lock the car, and he can't do it if your still in  
here"

So Draco opened the passenger door, and watched as Granger disappeared into  
the house with Airyn.  
He was about to walk after her when he felt a rather large package being put  
into his hands.  
He looked down to see a bag being thrust at him.

"Make yourself useful, Draco" Paul told him cheerily, having opened the boot  
to get out the bags that the teenagers had brought home with them.

Draco sighed.  
He wasn't used to doing all of the fetching and carrying.

"Follow me" Paul told him, finally locking the door and walking in front of  
Draco.  
There was an odd bounce to his step...like he was genuinely happy.  
Draco had never seen that before.

So Draco did what he was told, following Granger's dad into the house...  
A house that Draco had never dreamed he would even consider stepping over  
the threshold.

**- - -T.MARIA - - -**

"Hungry?"

"Very" Hermione answered, stuffing turkey sandwiches into her mouth.

She could hear Airyn crying in the living room.  
Malfoy had been in there for almost half an hour, now.

"He's fine" her dad had told her, sitting down at the table. "He couldn't  
get her wind up, but I think he's managed it, now"

Draco walked through the doorway and into the dining area, Airyn's head  
resting on his shoulder.  
"She's stopped" He said triumphantly.

Janet Granger had a smile on her face.  
"I remember when Hermione was that age...she never stopped crying, and you  
knew whenever she needed feeding, because she would scream the house down"

"Mum!" Hermione hissed, her cheeks glowing red.

Draco laughed at her.  
"Then I know who Airyn takes after"

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.  
It was so embarrassing having her mum talk about her like that...especially  
to Malfoy, considering he would probably take the piss out of her for as long  
as she lived.

"Oh, you know I'm only playing with you" Janet told her daughter  
affectionately.

"You'll be doing this with children of your own, one day" Her Dad told her  
with a smile.

Hermione was about to agree.  
But something stopped her.  
A bittersweet sadness of the knowledge that whoever the child was, it  
wouldn't be Airyn... it never would be.

Draco seemed to notice her sudden lack of happiness.  
He looked at her curiously, noticing the way she was gazing at Airyn.  
He knew what she was thinking.  
He had been thinking exactly the same thing.

"I think it's time we showed Draco to his room" Paul told everyone, changing  
the subject.  
He had noticed the sudden change of atmosphere in the room.

Draco nodded, still holding Airyn on his shoulder.  
He followed in silence as Mr. Granger and his daughter told him to follow  
them up the stairs.

When they had gotten onto the main landing, Granger had turned and held out  
her arms to take the baby.  
He handed her to the girl gently, and watched as she took her into another  
door, opposite the one that her father had stopped outside.

The room was tiny.  
More like a box room. He would barely be able to sleep in it.

"Sorry it's so small" Hermione told him apologetically. "We only have two big  
bedrooms"

Draco shrugged.  
It wasn't what he was used to, and ordinarily he would turn his nose  
up...but he had better manners than that.  
"It's fine"

"Right then, we'll leave you to it" Paul told him as he left the room.

Hermione stayed a few moments longer.  
"If you need anything, my room is just opposite"

_ 'I need you, what about that?'_ He felt like saying.

Instead he chose the more un-pathetic option.  
"Thanks"

Hermione smiled at him.  
He was taking all of this rather well, considering he wasn't used to  
such...err...small circumstances.  
He had held his tongue around her parents...he had been rather polite...and  
he hadn't even batted an eyelid at his latest bit of accommodation.

"Airyn will be in my room, there's more space in there" She told him.

She turned on her heel and stepped into the hallway.  
Then she looked back at him, a smirk on her lips.  
"Feel free to come and help out"

Draco raised his eyebrows in question.

Had Granger just openly invited him into her bedroom?

**- - - T.MARIA - -**

"What do you think?"

"I'm not too sure...he seems pleasant enough, but you never know...he could  
have a side to him that we are not seeing"

Paul nodded in agreement.  
When he had been told by the school that it was Draco Malfoy who was going  
to stay with them, he had instantly jumped on the defensive side of his  
daughter, remembering the stories that his little girl had told him.

He wasn't too familiar with the school, he had been there a handful of times  
and met a few teachers...but the Magical world was quite a conundrum to him.

"Do you think his parents are aware he is here?" Janet asked him, turning  
the pages of her novel as she sat up in bed.

Paul didn't know.  
From what he had heard of them, it was likely that they wouldn't be too  
thrilled that he was here.

"I think the teachers have probably attempted to tell them otherwise..."

Janet agreed.  
Nothing good had apparently stepped out of the Malfoy family...  
But young Draco had surprised her today.  
Mainly because she had not expected him to be so...what was the  
word...pleasant?

"Well, he's really not what I was expecting" She told her husband casually.  
"I was expecting someone a lot more...ghastly"

Paul smirked at her.  
"Never judge a book by its cover, Jan" He answered. "You remember your first  
impression of you, don't you?"

She smiled at him.  
"How could I forget?" She laughed. "You were a complete and utter arsehole"

He laughed and shook his head.  
"Obviously a misconception"

She gave him a smirk as she looked at him from over her book.  
"Not as much of a miss as it would seem..."

He gave her a look that said it all.


	23. Chapter 23

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three**

_ I'm everything you never wanted,  
why does it mean so much to you?  
Walking away,  
I'm not begging you to please let me stay._

_Should I say that we should still be friends?  
Should I cry,  
and should I just pretend?  
That it's killing me,  
and I don't want you to leave.  
Should I make you think I suffer,  
When it doesn't matter?'_

Hermione twisted the sheets around her body.  
She could hear Airyn's tiny form moving in the crib next to her bed.

It was useless...  
How on earth was she going to get asleep at all in the next two weeks, when  
she could _feel _Malfoy right there...just on the opposite side of her  
upstairs landing?

Today on the train, when Malfoy had disappeared, Hermione had wondered where  
he had got off to.  
She shoved the thought to the back of her mind however, knowing that it was  
not up to her if Malfoy decided to take a sudden trip somewhere.

What was bothering her was the fact that Parvati had also exited the  
carriage a few minutes later.  
The girl had seemed bothered for a while. Hermione couldn't quite put her  
finger on it, but she knew there was something wrong with her.

When Parvati had returned, she had a face like thunder.  
Ron didn't seem at all bothered, he just kept bouncing little Benny up and  
down on his knee, finding his son far more interesting.

The Patil twin had sat down haughtily in her seat, folding her arms across  
her chest with a huff.  
Hermione had studied her for a minute.  
Her face was angry, and her body language was giving off all the wrong  
signals...she looked as if she had seen or been told something that she didn't like.

Malfoy came back fifteen minutes later, looking a little disheveled and his  
shirt seemed a little creased...  
He slid back into his seat next to Hermione and began rolling the pram back  
and forth absentmindedly...Parvati didn't take her eyes off of him the  
whole time...

It shouldn't have bothered her.  
At the end of the day, Malfoy can do whatever he wants...  
But she couldn't help the fact that he brain had started working overtime as  
she glanced at both Malfoy and Parvati...exciting the carriage and entering  
the carriage almost at the sametime...

Hermione rolled over in her bed.  
She had to stop these burning thoughts before they made her jealous...and  
Hermione Granger did not get jealous.

She rubbed her eyes, blinking slightly.  
There was no way that she was getting sleep tonight.  
She sat up in bed and fluffed the pillows behind her, turning on her night  
light.

"God damn insomnia..."

She could still hear Airyn's low breathing in the crib.  
She slowly peered into it, seeing the sleeping form of her baby lying there,  
her hands balled into tiny fists.

She reached out to touch Airyn's soft pink cheek -

_ BANG_

Hermione almost shot right into the air with fright.

Within those few seconds, the whole house had managed to wake up.  
Airyn had been woken from her sleep and was now crying from the loud crash  
that had come from the hallway, and Hermione could hear her Mum and Dad  
coming out of their bedroom.

She slowly picked the sleeping baby from her crib and put her onto her  
shoulder, trying to calm her down.  
Her heart was still racing from the thought of what that loud noise could  
have been the impact from...she couldn't bare to think about it.

As she walked towards her door and opened it, she could hear mumbles from  
voices across the hall.

Someone was laughing.

As her eyes sought out the dark silhouettes across the hall, she realised  
that whatever the noise had been, it had come from Malfoy's room.

Her heart suddenly started beating faster.

But the laughter was still there.

"What's going on?" She asked, walking slowly towards the opposite side of  
the hallway, where Malfoy's room was situated.

"Is that you, Hermione darling?" Came her Father's voice, still full of  
laughter.

"Yes" She said quietly. "Whatever that noise was, it woke Airyn up"

A light switched suddenly flicked on inside Malfoy's box room.  
The hallway seemed brighter, and Hermione had to squint her eyes to get used  
to the light.

She tried to shush Airyn by rubbing her back gently; she was still wailing  
from the shock of the big bang.

Hermione could see her Father's figure at the entrance of the room.  
He was still laughing.

"He could have been hurt, Paul" Janet's voice came from inside the room.  
"This is not a laughing matter"

"If you don't laugh, then you cry" Came Malfoy's voice...and surprisingly  
she could hear laughter in his voice, too.

Hermione came to stand by her Father's side, wondering exactly what was so  
funny.

And then she saw it.

Or...him.

Sitting there on the floor against the wardrobe, his bed sheet splayed out  
around him...rubbing the back of his head.

"What happened?" Hermione asked curiously, wincing as Airyn's shrill crying  
became louder.

"Draco took...erm..." Janet tried to explain, her face displaying the  
smallest signs of a smile.

"I fell arse over tit off the bed" Malfoy told her simply, looking up at her  
with a smirk on his lips.

It was a good job that he found it funny, because Hermione suddenly found it  
hilarious.  
But it wasn't hard to see _why _ he had fell out of the bed...it was  
basically the size of Airyn's crib.

"I couldn't have put it better myself" Paul said, smirking. He then looked  
over at his 'Grand-daughters' face, seeing it a horrible red colour from all  
of her crying. "What's up here, then?" He suddenly asked, changing the  
subject and tickling Airyn's cheek affectionately.

"Malfoy woke her up" Hermione told him, sighing.

"Malfoy?" Janet asked curiously.

"It's not my fault, Granger" He told her defensively, still rubbing his  
head. "I could be dead now if the wardrobe hadn't of broke my fall"

"Granger?" Paul asked, more curiously than his wife.

"You do realise that you have a house full of _Grangers _..." Janet told  
him pointedly, giving him a smirk. "You will have to let us know which one  
you want to address"

Draco put his head down, feeling a slight blush appearing on his cheeks.  
He hadn't thought of that.

"Here" Paul said to his daughter, changing the subject. "Give Airyn to me  
and your Mum and we'll see if she will take a bottle"

Hermione nodded and handed her daughter over, feeling an instant sense of  
loss when she did.

"I hope you haven't bruised yourself too badly, Draco" Janet said, getting  
up from the bed looking slightly concerned. "Let me know if your head still  
hurts in the morning, and I will give you some pain killers"

Draco nodded in thanks, giving the woman a small smile.

Then Granger's mum and dad left the room...leaving only their Daughter  
standing in the hallway.

Hermione couldn't help but smile at him.  
He was sat there on the floor; naked from the waist up, white sheets all  
around him from the bed, and his hair was sticking up on end.

If it was possible, he looked even more yummy than he did that night they  
had kissed.

_'Yummy?!'_ She thought scornfully to herself. _'Since when is Draco  
Malfoy YUMMY looking?' _

Since now, apparently...

"What are you smirking at?" He asked her from the floor.

She shook her head.  
"Nothing...I just didn't think it was actually possible for someone to fall  
out of a bed..."

Draco glared at her, before his face broke into a smile.  
It was true...in all of his life, he had never managed to actually fall out  
of a bed.

To say he was embarrassed about the situation was an understatement...he had  
wanted the floor to swallow him up when he could hear Granger's Mum and Dad  
entering his room, wondering if someone had tried to break in.

And it didn't help matter's when Granger's dad had taken one look at him,  
and then started laughing!  
NO ONE laughed at Draco...

Except...he started laughing himself.  
And Draco never laughed at himself...because laughing at himself was not  
taking himself seriously...

Not that he could help it.  
Once the shock had subsided, he knew that the situation looked highly  
hilarious to anyone looking upon it.  
And he couldn't help but laugh harder once Mrs Granger had tried to check up  
on his health, asking him if he needed medical assistance.

But then he saw Granger walking through the door...  
And remembered the exact reason for WHY he fell out of the bed.

You see;  
Once Draco had finally gave into sleep tonight, he had found himself in the  
middle of a very weird dream...involving himself and the Head Girl...a very  
weird dream indeed...

** - - - --,--'---- - - -**

_"Please..."  
Hermione absentmindedly felt him fondling the buttons of her checkered  
shirt.  
But she didn't care, as long as he didn't stop touching her._

_"Please, what?" He asked her, his voice whispering in her ear as he nipped  
at it._

_He unfastened the last of her buttons and looked down at her momentarily.  
The plain white bra she had on showed her innocence.  
Her breasts were held in tightly, spilling out slightly over the top._

_He reached up and grabbed one, testing the waters.  
He felt her shudder against him._

_"I don't know" She told him, wincing slightly when he touched her breast.  
They were still a little sore._

_But he seemed to sense it, and started kneading it softly through the  
fabric.  
He began kissing her slowly all over her face. Soft, sensuous kisses that  
left her skin tingling._

_When he reached back to her ear, all of her senses were lost.  
"I think I know what you want..."_

_Somewhere between being kissed thoroughly, having her breast kneaded and  
having his leg ground against her, Hermione had lost all sense of logic.  
All she wanted was to feel more of him._

_Draco's hand left her breast, and then moved through her open shirt, to her  
back.  
He unfastened her bra, and let it fall slowly down the front of her body  
until it couldn't move past her arms.  
His eyes widened when Granger removed the offending shirt from her body on  
her own accord, and then removed the bra until it fell to the floor._

_And there she stood;  
His eyes exploring the contours of her naked chest._

_Hermione felt a twinge of embarrassment hit her when he looked at her.  
She had never been in this situation before, but her lust-addled brain had  
been doing things of its own accord, without questioning her senses._

_But she didn't need to think anymore when she felt Malfoy's breath against  
her right breast.  
She closed her eyes and held back a moan when she felt his lips placing  
small kisses all around the globe, before taking the nipple in his mouth  
delicately._

_It wasn't like Airyn.  
It was nothing like Airyn._

_With Airyn, she was taking something...but Malfoy was giving to her,  
instead.  
And if felt unbelievably good._

_Draco couldn't help it.  
This girl was doing something to him, and whatever it was...he liked it._

_Her rosy nipple had called to him, and when he took it into his mouth  
slowly, he could feel her shuddering against him.  
He ground his knee into her core as he placed his other hand onto her other  
breast, rolling the stiffened nipple between his thumb and forefinger  
softly, listening to her throaty moans._

_Hermione could feel the wood from the pillar digging into her bare back._

_Who would ever have thought that she would be doing this with Draco Malfoy?  
And that she would like it?_

_Draco pushed harder against her, and heard her moan slightly.  
He opened his eyes and saw the look of pain on her face._

_"Are you ok?" He asked her, coming to her face level and kissing her cheeks._

_"Yes..." She breathed, arching her back as he continued to play with her  
breasts. "It's just the wood..."_

_"Which one?" He voice asked, innuendo definitely playing on his mind._

_Hermione smirked, before his lips descended down on to hers again._

_And then she felt him lift her up.  
She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he carried her to the bed,  
making them fall back onto it._

_Hermione's eyes widened._

_Draco looked into her orbs, his eyes dark with lust._

_His dick was positioned directly in between her thighs.  
And he knew she could feel him where she needed him most._

_** 'Thank god she decided to wear a skirt today...'** He thought, smirking  
to himself._

_Not a mini skirt..that just wasn't Granger.  
But a sensible knee length one...and it fitted her curves beautifully._

_Draco bent his head and kissed her passionately.  
He felt her hands go south slowly, towards his ass._

_He ground himself against her against his will, loving the way she felt  
beneath him._

_"Oh, god..." He heard her breath between kisses._

_Draco felt exactly the same.  
He was using all of his self-restraint to not rip her remaining clothes from  
her body and slam himself into her. _

_Hermione squeezed his ass and pushed his groin inwards towards her's again.  
She loved the way his body was strong and demanding...making her want him  
all the more._

_"What do you want, Granger?" He asked her, whispering in her ear._

_His right hand holding his weight on top of her, he let his left hand drift  
downwards slowly...under her skirt...  
His fingertips met her creamy thigh, and he saw the look of pure lust in her  
eyes._

_She brought his ear close to her lips, boldly nipping the outer shell of it,  
feeling him shudder on top of her.  
"You know what I want.." She said quietly._

_Draco had to tense as her words had affected him so badly.  
His fingertips were still stroking her thigh; he moved his hand upwards so  
slowly, that Hermione hardly felt him move._

_Until she felt his thumb graze her outer lips through her underwear._

_She bit her lip to stop herself from shouting.  
She had not expected that._

_Draco smirked when he saw the look on her face.  
She was completely lost; her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were large and  
her hair was tousled...and she had never looked more beautiful to him._

_Draco slowly moved his thumb over her sensitive area again.  
This time she couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips._

_"Do you like that?" He asked her, still looking into her face._

_Hermione looked away embarrassed.  
For some reason, she felt a lot more open than he looked.  
But then...she was the one that was half naked._

_Suddenly; and without warning, Hermione dragged Draco's shirt upwards and  
didn't stop until she had pulled it over his head, causing his hair to fly  
in all directions from his head._

_"I like this, better" She told him, smiling wickedly._

_Draco melted.  
He bent his head down and kissed her roughly, his tongue searching for hers  
in her mouth.  
His fingers gently eased away the material of her underwear, and then  
started teasing her folds slowly._

_Hermione's head shot backwards onto the bed covers, not expecting this new  
attack._

_Nothing like this had happened to her before, and she sure as hell wasn't  
expecting it to feel **that **good..._

_Draco took advantage of this, nipping and licking at her neck as his fingers  
continued to tease her clit.  
He pressed his chest against her's firmly, loving the feeling of her warm  
breasts against him._

_Hermione could feel his fingers attacking her, and it felt so good.  
She had to bite her lips so many times to stop herself from groaning..._

_But her eyes widened once more when she felt a finger slip inside of her._

_Draco looked deep into her eyes as he slowly entered her with his middle  
finger.  
He almost lost it when he realised how tight she was.  
He moved it in and out of her a few times, before curling it  
upwards...reaching for something._

_Hermine couldn't take it.  
It was too much.  
She knew he breath was coming in gasps, and she knew she probably looked  
very weird in the throws of passion...but all she cared about was how  
Malfoy's fingers were making her feel._

_As his finger moved in and out, he added a second one quickly, hoping she  
wouldn't notice.  
But she did.  
And it was no wonder...that was just about as far as he could stretch her._

_Draco felt his cock twitch at the thought of being deep inside of  
her...feeling her muscles tensing around him as she came... _

_"Don't stop.." She whispered, not being able to keep it in any longer._

_Draco's fingers instantly sped up, and as he watched her face he could see  
her pleasure spread out for him to see._

_"I'll never stop.." He answered, kissing her neck as she threw her head back  
again when he circled her clit with his thumb._

_She could feel something...it was creeping up on her..._

_"Stop..." She moaned, feeling it getting stronger...she wasn't sure if she  
could handle it._

_Draco smiled against the skin of her neck.  
"You really want me to stop?"_

_"No" She told him, breathing heavily and clutching him to her as she felt it  
rising from her toes._

_Draco could see she was close...  
Just a few more thrusts with his fingers and - _

**- - - --,--'---- - - -**

Life was a bitch.  
He was so close to conjuring up the image of Granger falling apart in his  
arms...and then suddenly he had that falling sensation.

Obviously he was perplexed when the floor had broken his sleep...and his  
fall.

He grew angry as soon as he had realised what had happened.  
He had been so engrossed in his dream that he had somehow managed to wriggle  
around in the bed so much that he eventually fell out of it...

So this is what dreaming about the Head Girl did to a lad?

He would have to remind himself to never do it again.

But he couldn't help himself.  
It was **that **day...the day they had kissed.  
He had thought about it so often in his day dreams that it was obviously  
crossing over into his night dreams...not that he minded too much...

He was just glad that Granger's mum and dad had been too busy being both  
humoured and concerned that they didn't notice Draco's painful erection.

Bloody good job, too...imagine the embarrassment!

"Malfoy?"

Draco shook away his thoughts and looked over at the girl in question.  
She was sat there on his bed now, with only a white tank top and a pair of  
pink pajama bottoms...absolutely ravishing.

"Sorry...I think I must have some kind of head rush"

Hermione smiled at him.  
"I don't blame you, you must have taken quite a fall"

Draco stood up from the floor and grabbed the sheet around his midriff,  
before sitting down beside her on the bed.  
"It's called falling with style..."

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"You're hilarious, Malfoy"

Draco looked at her for a moment.  
"I think it would be best if you called me Draco while we are at your  
house...you Mum and Dad are getting a little confused about us calling  
each other by our second names"

Hermione didn't know what to say.  
How could she call him _Draco _/? He wasn't Draco to her, he was  
Malfoy...  
She had familiarized herself with Malfoy over the past seven years...to  
suddenly start calling him Draco would be like thinking he was a completely  
different person...

But then again;

Wasn't he?

He wouldn't have been caught dead a year ago in her house...he would have  
much rather killed himself, than even consider stepping foot over her  
threshold...

Draco was having the same problem.  
Yes, he had suggested the change...but it didn't mean that he didn't find it  
strange.  
Granger was the buck-toothed, bushy haired know it all that had graced his  
presence in school ever since the first day of term...all the names they had  
called each other...all the fighting and the arguing...

Calling her _Hermione _ would almost be like calling her a friend...like  
Potter and Weasle did...  
But she was a friend, wasn't she? If the past few weeks were anything to go  
by, it might even be possible that he would want her to become even more...

Possibly...

Maybe...

Best not to think about it right now...much too messy.

"Ok" She said finally. "We'll address each other by our first names in the  
presence of my parents...it's too weird otherwise"

Draco smirked at her.

Well...at least they were reading from the same page.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

"I think we should do something about that bed young Draco is sleeping in"  
Paul said absentmindedly, eating a piece of toast in the kitchen the next  
morning.

It had been an awfully long night.  
Airyn was not settling very well, and after many attempts to try and get her  
to sleep, the night finally came to an end when Draco had taken over the  
duties and calmed the baby down in his room.

To say that Paul was not used to this was an understatement.  
Hermione was an only child, and he intended it to stay that way. Don't get  
him wrong, he loved kids...they were great when you could give them back at  
the end of the day...but raising your own child is something that no one can  
prepare you for.

Which is why Draco and Hermione surprised him.  
He knew they found it hard, but he could tell that they doted on  
Airyn...almost as if she were a real baby.

_ 'I hope they will be alright when it comes to letting her go...'_

The thing with children was the attachment...  
You don't see it creeping up on you...until the day they scrape their knee  
for the first time, or pull out their first tooth...or ride their first  
bike.

That's when you really feel love.

"We have nowhere else for him to sleep, Paul" Janet told him, frying  
sausages in the pan.

Paul thought for a minute.  
"Well, we do have a sleeping bag...I'm sure we could put an extra mattress  
down on to Hermione's floor and let him sleep down there"

Janet gave him a look of discouragement.  
She didn't like the thought of a boy sleeping in the same room as her  
daughter. She didn't even like the idea of a boy LOOKING at her daughter...  
"As much as I trust Hermione, I don't think that is such a good idea"

Paul rolled his eyes.  
"It would be more convenient for Hermione if he was there. If Airyn woke  
up, they could both be there together to help out"

Janet poked the sausages vigorously.  
"And what if I go into Hermione's room one morning and find the mattress  
empty, and Hermione's bed occupied by TWO bodies?"

Paul snorted into his cup of tea.  
"Do you really think our Hermione would be so disrespectful?"

Janet knew he was right.  
She looked around at him, an odd twinkle in her eye.  
"I remember what YOU were like at that age"

Paul shrugged.  
"If you mean Draco, then I don't know what his intentions are towards  
Hermione. He could be here purely to help out and bond with his daughter..."

"...or with ours"

Paul gave her a look.  
"Just because a boy has hormones, it doesn't mean that he's going to be bed  
hopping from one girl to another...I certainly didn't..."

"Oh, I do believe that you did"

Paul didn't say anything.  
He drank his tea in silence as his wife studied him.

So what if he had a mis-spent youth?  
He was a rock and roller...he didn't give a shit about what anyone thought  
about him...until he met Janet.  
She made him see the better things in life, and he had never looked back  
since.

"You didn't complain" He told her suddenly; giving her a small wink, before  
picking up the paper and beginning to read the front page.

Janet was about to retort when she hear footsteps on the stairs.

Hermione suddenly appeared, looking worse for wear.

"Sleep well?" Paul asked her casually as she plopped down into a seat beside  
him.

She shook her head.  
From the circles under her eyes, she didn't look like she had slept much at  
all.  
"Mal-" She instantly changed the name "- _Draco _didn't get Airyn off to  
sleep until six this morning...I heard her the whole time until she stopped"

Janet placed a plate full of sausages and eggs in front of her daughter,  
patting her on the head sympathetically.

"Is Draco coming down?" She asked her Daughter.

Hermione looked at her.  
"I thought he was already down here?"

Both Paul and Janet shook their heads.  
Hermione got off her seat suddenly, and made for the stairs.

She climbed up them until she reached the landing to the second floor,  
walking slowly to Malfoy's room until she was outside of the shut door.

She gently pushed the door open, until she could see through the crack.  
She poked her head in curiously to see if he was still in there.

He was.

Lying down on top of the covers on his small bed...Airyn lying on her front  
in the middle of his bare chest...both soundly asleep.

A smile crept across her lips.  
It was such an innocent moment...one she never really got to witness  
considering they didn't share close proximity at bed times, besides the  
Common Room.

If it was possible, Malfoy looked all the more masculine to her.  
Maybe it softened his toughened outer shell...or maybe it just showed her  
that he could love something other than himself...

Whatever it was; it was change.

Hermione crept slowly into the room until she was looking down at Malfoy's  
sleeping face.  
She gently reached out and plucked a stray hair from his forehead, pushing  
it back out of his fluttering eyelashes.  
His cheeks slowly tried to nuzzle her hand in his sleep.

Hermione watched as Airyn wriggled slightly on his chest, kicking her little  
legs out almost as if she were stretching them.

That's when it hit her.  
_This_ really was her family...

If not forever, then for the meantime at least.

But what really hit home...what really caused a sense of panic to rise up in  
her stomach at the very prospect of her thinking it...

Was the fact that she didn't think it could get any better than what she had  
right now.

Right in this moment, she had everything.

And one day...one day when this was allover, she would have nothing.

And it scared her more than she liked to imagine.


	24. Chapter 24

**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four**

_ 'You're not alone,  
together we stand.  
I'm here by your side,  
you know I'll take your hand. _

_When it gets cold,  
and it feels like the end.  
When there's not place to go,  
you know I won't give in._

_Keep holding on,  
because we'll see it through,  
see it through.  
Just be strong,  
because I'm here for you,  
here for you.'_

"That's so pretty!"

"It's revolting...if you even consider dressing our child in that, then I  
will have to call Social services"

Hermione glared at him.  
"But it's adorable!"

Draco shook his head.  
"What would be the point? She'll only sick up on it anyway"

Hermione rolled her eyes and decided to just keep on walking.

_ 'Note to self...NEVER bring Malfoy shopping around Muggle London  
again'_

Hermione walked in front of Draco as he pushed the pale pink stroller along  
the street. He got a few odd stares from some of the men, obviously because  
of the colour of the buggy, but he didn't care.

He was proud of the beautiful baby inside of it.  
And she was exactly one month old.

Draco smiled to himself.  
This time last month, he was holding Granger's hand in the infirmary and  
telling her that everything would be Ok...  
But everything wasn't Ok, because now they were both entranced by the life  
that they had created...and no matter what happened, a bond had been created  
and it would be too hard to want to break.

"Slow down, Hermione!" Came Paul's voice from the distance.

Draco stopped the pram and searched for the voices.  
He knew they had been walking fast, but he hadn't realised just how fast.  
He finally saw the top of Mr. Granger's curly head, and saw the small woman  
almost at a run beside him to keep up with him.

Draco had decided that he actually liked The Granger's.  
They were a quirky family, and they had many flaws...but he found it very  
admirable.

Draco had been with them for four days now, and his living arrangements  
hadn't gotten any better.  
His legs got cramp far too often, and every now and again he got woken up in  
the night by either Airyn crying next door, or the boiler starting up in the  
room...

He felt like he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in ages!

"I swear she gets her shopping antics from you" Paul grumbled as they  
finally caught up with Draco and their daughter.

"She most certainly hasn't...I'M not the one who takes forever just to buy a  
bloody book" Janet told him accusingly as they walked closely behind Draco  
and the buggy.

"What in god's name is she buying, anyway?" Paul asked her, rubbing his  
glover covered hands together, letting them feel some warmth in the cool  
winter air.

"Presents for her friends, apparently" Janet answered, holding her coat  
tighter around her as a sudden gust of wind blew at them.

Draco hadn't even thought of that.  
Christmas hadn't even entered his mind...and it was only two days away.

"Can you lot hurry your arses up?" Hermione shouted from in front of them. "I  
still need to find that owl tracker for Ron...and I think I need to buy  
presents for the babies, too"

_'Shit...'_ Draco thought suddenly. _'I've bought fuck all for  
nobody...' _

And it wasn't like he had Muggle money, either...

The three slackers finally caught up to the Head Girl, as she was looking  
through a toy store window.  
Her face was positively beaming as she looked upon the splendour inside the  
shop...her money hoping to be stretched far inside of it.

"Can we go in?" Hermione asked, looking around at her Mum and Dad, who  
already had an array of bags to carry.

They both rolled their eyes.

Hermione smiled excitedly, before entering the store.

Draco gave Mr.Granger a look of curiosity. He had never seen this side of  
granger before, and he was certainly clueless as to why she was so excited  
to go inside.

"She's a big kid at heart" Was all Paul had said, shrugging his shoulders  
and holding the door open for Draco to roll the pram inside.

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Draco could see why.

They certainly weren't magical toys...but they were magnificent, none the  
less.  
There were several floors, full to the brim with cuddly toys and flying  
aeroplanes, and anything that a young child could possibly love.

But it was all far too old for Airyn...she was still an innocent little  
baby.  
But she was still sitting in her stroller, looking around with wide eyes at  
the scene in front of her.

She could focus on objects now. Draco could see it in her eyes, and she  
could also distinguish the difference between her mother voice and her  
father's...and this fact had filled him with pride.

It was just a pitty that he would only have one more month of this, before  
she turned into a ten month old...and he was not looking forward to that.

Well, he was...but he wasn't looking forward to all of the other stuff that  
came with it...

Draco was brought out of his thoughts when he saw two little boys run past  
him, wearing armoured suits of some kind, and they were shooting invisible  
lasers at each other...

Such strange customs for ordinary Muggles.

But lately Draco had noticed that Muggles weren't what the seemed.  
To some degree, they almost seemed the equivalent of Purebloods...the other  
end of the spectrum.

Draco continued watching the boys curiously, seeing them disappearing around  
the corner.

"Over here, Mal-" Hermione cursed herself. " _Draco _ " She shouted,  
waving at him from one of the isles.

Draco strolled over, passing Granger's parents who were looking at an oddly  
shaped plastic rug on the floor.

Draco rolled right over it with the stroller, sensing nothing was  
wrong...until every step he took started to play a part of a piano keyboard.

He stopped dead when he heard a few sniggers from people he had passed by.  
Deciding to shrug it off and forget about it.  
He started walking again.

And that same piano tune followed him.

Draco looked around him, and saw Paul and Janet laughing.  
He frowned.

"Look down, Draco" Paul told him, an amused expression on his face.

Draco did as he was told, not really wanting to know what was the cause of  
his troubles.

But what he did see confused him to no end.  
The plastic rug looked like a piano keyboard...a very large piano keyboard.

"What the bloody hell is this?" He asked curiously, not daring to move a  
muscle in case he set the instrument off again.

"It's a musical Piano Keyboard" Paul told him, pressing one of the black  
notes down with his foot, hearing the sound play. "You play it like a real  
Piano, only with your feet"

Draco studied the artifact carefully.  
Experimentally he lifted his left foot, and then put it back down  
again...the note sang its beat.

"What are you up to?" Came Granger's voice from his left.

He looked over at her, feeling a little bewildered.  
They certainly didn't have anything like THIS in the Wizarding world...

"I guess I'm playing the piano..." He told her quietly, this time picking up  
his right foot and placing it back down onto a different key.

"Do you play?" Janet asked him curiously from the sideline.

Draco looked over at her. "I used to...my Father made me practice"

Paul gave him a small smile. "Let me guess, he made you play 'chopsticks'  
until your fingers were bloody?"

Draco smirked.  
"'_Chopsticks'_ wasn't the problem..._'Beethoven's symphony No. 9'_ was the  
dilemma..."

Paul stretched out his left leg and joined Draco on the piano mat.  
"So you can play it well, I take it?"

Draco shrugged.  
"I don't like to brag...but yeah"

Mr.Granger smiled widely at him.  
"Excellent...let's see what you've got"

Draco knew his jaw had hit the floor.  
Did Granger's father want some kind of Mexican stand off?

"Excuse me, Sir?" Draco asked him, his eyes widening.

Hermione shook her head at her father.  
"Dad, you're making a scene in front of loads of people... _Draco_ might  
not even want to play"

Draco looked from Granger, and then to her father.  
A smile suddenly lit up on his face.

"Take the pram" He told Hermione seriously, pushing the stroller towards her  
and off the piano.

He then looked at Mr. Granger and bowed his head in admission.  
"Let's see what _you've_ got, Mr. Granger..."

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

Hermione was still in a state of disbelief.

Draco Malfoy was one hell of a good Piano player...and she hadn't even  
realised that her Father was, too!

They had caused such a scene in the toyshop, frolicking around on the big  
Piano keyboard, that eventually Security had asked them to leave the store!  
Hermione hadn't really understood the problem...until she was told by her  
Mother that once her Father and Draco had decided to get through the _'show  
off'_ stage, that they decided to become crowd entertainers instead, and had  
taken it in turns to slide on their knees across the stretch of plastic,  
making as much noise as they could as the crowd whooped!

Well...that was all well and good...until they had dared each other to see  
how far they could get, and Draco ended up pushing her Father so far down  
the keyboard that he flew off the other end and landed in a pile of neatly  
stacked _Care-bears_...

The funny thing was, that Hermione had never seen her Father look happier.  
And she certainly hadn't seen Malfoy enjoy himself so much...

Could it be possible that Malfoy was getting along with her Father, to the  
point where he could actually relax around a Muggle?

Hermione was stirred from her thoughts when she felt sick trickling down her  
best top.  
Well...it didn't take long for Airyn to be winded, that was for sure...she  
should have used a bib.

"Damn, and I like this top as well"

Draco looked over at her from his place at the dinner table.  
"Just put it in the wash and go and change it" He told her matter of factly.

Paul nodded in agreement.  
"It's only a bit of baby sick...it's not going to cause a fatal disease"

Hermione glared at her father.  
"I'm well aware of that, thank you" She told him.

Hermione suddenly passed Airyn to her Mother, whom was waiting for the baby  
with outstretched arms at the other side of Hermione.

"I won't be a minute" She told them, vacating the table and making her way  
upstairs.

Janet admired her 'Grand-child' for a moment.  
"She's absolutely gorgeous...it's just a pity that we'll never get another  
one like her" She said quietly, more to herself than anyone else.

"The only way for that to be possible would be for our Hermione and young  
Draco here to get together" Paul told her, speaking almost as if Draco  
wasn't in the room. "And we all know that would never happen in reality"

Draco put his head down.  
He wasn't ready to think about any of that right now...it lead to bad things  
that would only get worse the more he let it all in.

"It's a shame, though" Janet continued. "I would love to see what she would  
look like, all grown up...who she would actually take after...whose eyes and  
hair she would have..."

"Probably our Hermione's...she's got dark hair already" Paul told her,  
cooing at Airyn as she sat in her Granger's Mother's lap.

Draco had to agree with that.  
He didn't mind that Airyn would look more like Granger than himself...Sure,  
Granger had her flaws but she wasn't unattractive. in fact, lately he had  
come to find her very attractive indeed...

And it had been so long since he had kissed her...  
He had not held her in any intimate form in a long while...he was starting  
to think that maybe she had decided that she didn't actually feel a certain  
way about him...maybe she was getting her lines crossed after all...

"Oh, dear God!" Janet suddenly said, standing up from the table.

"What?" Paul asked her, looking at her anxiously.

"Out there!" She said, pointing out of the window. "Look...it's an Owl, and  
It's heading straight for the window!"

Draco looked around quickly.  
The Owl was picking up speed, preparing to fly straight through the unopened  
window.

"We can't let it in" She told them both worriedly. "It'll frighten poor  
Airyn to death"

It looked to be quite the opposite, in fact.  
Airyn was trying to focus on the bird that was getting closer to the window.  
Her eyes were as round as saucers, and her mouth was now hanging open,  
exposing her gums.

Draco smiled at her.  
Far too advanced for her age.

Draco stood up and leaned over the kitchen sink, until he reached the  
window.  
He managed to open it just in time, as the bird flew in and scattered itself  
across the dining table in a heap.

"My mashed potatoes!" Paul said alarmingly, picking feathers out of his  
dinner.

"Sorry" Draco said quietly.

He looked at the bird for a moment.  
He recognised it...but he couldn't place the owner.

Draco saw Mr. Granger plucking a small scroll from the Owls leg gently, and  
then held it up to the light so he could see the addressee through his  
glasses.

He suddenly looked at Draco.  
"It's for you"

**- - - T.MARIA - - -**

He had been distant with her since she had come back down from her room  
after getting changed.  
She didn't know what had brought on his change of mood...but she knew it  
wasn't something good.

Hermione looked down into her arms, as she saw Airyn feeding from her  
breast.  
3am...3am and she was still awake.  
It was driving her absolutely mad!

Usually she would have enlisted Malfoy to help by now, but tonight she found  
herself not wanting to.

After she had come back downstairs, she had seen the bird sitting on the  
table, pecking at her father's dinner.  
Her mother was too busy shielding Airyn from a nasty case of bird flu, and  
Malfoy was too busy reading some letter -

_'The letter!'_ She thought suddenly. _'That must be it...'_

But who would send him a letter?  
His mother and father had no idea he was here...they thought he was spending  
Christmas at Hogwarts...  
So it had to be someone else...

Crabbe or Goyle?

_ 'Why would he be pissed off with me about them?'_

Blaise?

_ 'Nah...and its not like he OR the other two know where he is over  
Christmas...'_

So it had to be someone else...  
And the only other people that Draco Malfoy fraternized with in Hogwarts  
were girls...

So he's been getting messages from girls?

Hermione felt that odd twinge in her stomach again at the thought of another  
girl sending him messages through Owl...of another girl talking to him...of  
another girl thinking about him...

Dammit, why was all of this so hard?  
Personal feelings were never supposed to become involved in all of this...it  
was just supposed to be a Project...

Airyn brought her head away from Hermione's breast, silently telling her  
mother that she had had enough.  
Hermione held Airyn up and put her over her shoulder, winding her for the  
umpteenth time that day.

Wasn't all of this for Airyn?  
Weren't they supposed to be getting along because of Airyn?  
...and now it was all Airyn's fault that she had started to feel this way  
about Draco Malfoy...

The boy that was across the hall that she desperately wanted to talk  
to...touch...embrace...hold...kiss...

Among other things.

_ 'Hermione Granger!'_ She scolded herself. _'Getting involved with  
Draco Malfoy in that way will NEVER be a good thing...no matter how you try  
to think about it' _

And it wasn't like she could think about it now, anyway.  
There was another girl on the scene...talk about having your cake and eating  
it!

Not three weeks ago, Draco Malfoy was kissing her senseless...wanting more  
from her...her wanting more from him...

And now he was suddenly talking to other girls...getting messages from them  
in HER house?!

Sacrilege!

**- - -T.MARIA - - -**

Draco lay on his cot of a bed, reading the letter over again.  
He could scarecly believe it.

He hadn't meant to be off with Granger, but seeing those words written down on paper...it made him realise just how much he had really changed over the past few months.  
it was gradual, and it was so slow that he barely noticed...but the proof was now right infront of him on a piece of parchment.

It just goes to show what a baby can really do to you.

**_Draco,_**

**_Thank you for the other day on the train.  
It means a lot to me that we can actually be friends.  
You know I think a lot of you, and I always will.  
I had to ask Longbottom nicely, but he let me know where  
you were staying and WHO with.  
I have to let you know that I think it is very noble of you;  
going all the way into the Muggle world, just to look after your child._**

**_Me and Longbottom have been continuing to get visits  
from Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall.  
I must admit, at first I found it hard to come to terms with  
the fact that it was NEVILLE'S baby that I was carrying...  
but after spending a few days with him over the Christmas holidays,  
I've realised that I could have done a lot worse._**

**_But I also could have done a lot better.  
He's been telling me all about you and the way you are  
with Airyn.  
Sometimes I wish it could have been me...and I could swap  
places with Granger...but I think I'm past that now.  
I couldn't help but notice the way you are with each other in school.  
I don't know whether it is all an act, or whether you two have actually  
found  
some mutual respect for each other...but I actually find it quite endearing._**

**_I've done some growing up, Draco.  
Life isn't all about what you can get, and what you want.  
It's about what life throws at you, and how you handle it.  
I think I have finally learned all of this, but it is funny how it  
has taken a maternal illness to make me realise..._**

**_I'm bonding with my baby, Draco.  
I never thought I could do it, but the other day I just looked at  
him and realised that he is the most adorable thing I have ever seen...  
And I also realised that I was feeling what you had felt all along...  
A sense of being complete._**

**_I'm writing to let you know that I am getting better.  
Myself and Longbottom are finally starting to share responsibilities,  
and I think I can finally come to terms with the fact that the baby is  
going to be called BERT for the rest of the school year..._**

**_It sounds like a bloody muppet from that Muggle television program! _**

**_But if I can accept everything that has been happening to me,  
then I am sure I can accept that._**

**_Happy Holidays, Draco,  
Stay safe._**

**_Pansy _**

Draco studied the letter a few times.

Then he smiled to himself.

He wasn't the only one going through some changes.


	25. Chapter 25

** Chapter Twenty Five**

_ 'Isn't it strange,  
the way things can change?  
The life that you lead,  
turned on its head.  
Suddenly someone,  
means more than you felt for.  
House and its yard,  
turns into home.  
Sorry but I meant to say,  
Many things along the way.  
This one's for you._

_Have I told you I ache?  
Have I told you I ache?  
Have I told you I ache?  
For you?'_

** CHRISTMAS EVE**

Hermione's family flocked around Airyn like she was the best thing since  
sliced bread.  
None of them were aware that Hermione was actually a witch...so telling them  
that Airyn wasn't actually a 'real' baby probably wouldn't be the best thing  
in the world.

Instead, Hermione had told them the bare faced truth.

She and Malfoy were the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl.

Draco watched on from his place at the kitchen table as everyone started  
swapping presents.

It was a funny old world, really.  
They all oddly looked like each other...a few of Granger's cousins even had  
her protruding teeth.  
Well...the ones she used to have before Draco had accidentally given her the  
excuse to reduce their size.

There was one small boy.  
He must have been about five years old, and all he did was cling on to  
Granger like she was his oxygen.  
Maybe it was the fact that the little boy was used to being the youngest of  
the family, and now suddenly Airyn was on the scene, and he felt jealous.

Draco didn't blame him.  
With being an only child came the adoration and treats that came with the  
title. He got what he wanted, when he wanted it. And he was so used to it,  
that living without it was starting to wear a little thin.

But he had bigger responsibilities now, and he fully intended on treating  
Airyn with the same love and affection that he himself was shown as a child.

"More pie, Draco?" Came Janet's voice in his ear.

He shook his head at her, before giving her a polite smile.  
"I'm full, thank you"

She smiled back at him.  
"I wouldn't worry about all this lot" She told him, looking around at her  
family. "Half of them are going home for Christmas. The ones that are  
staying are hardly any trouble"

Draco looked up at her.  
"They're staying the night?"

She nodded.  
She took a seat beside him at the table, putting the bowl of apple pie  
in front of her.  
"It's a family tradition, we do it every year"

Draco watched as Granger walked towards the table.  
"Aunt Tina has kidnapped Airyn" She told them both with a sigh, before  
plopping herself down next to her Mother. "It's highly unlikely that we'll  
ever see her again"

Janet laughed.  
"I told you to hide the baby before Tina got here, didn't I?"

Hermione laughed a little at the joke.  
But she didn't feel like she was in any mood to laugh.

She and Malfoy still didn't seem quite right.  
She couldn't understand what had made him act that way the other night. One  
minute he was okay, and then as soon as he had gotten that damn letter, he  
closed himself up and only communicated when he was looking after Airyn.

Any other time she could put up with it, but not when he was a guest in HER  
house...  
it was just plain ignorant.

"I'll go and see if I can salvage your daughter" Janet told the pair  
humorously, as she got up from her chair and excited the kitchen.

Draco looked around him at the remaining people in the room.  
Eating food, drinking anything on offer...looking happy.

"Have you enjoyed yourself today?" Hermione asked him simply, not liking the  
silence between them.

He nodded.  
"Not too bad...your family could be worse, I suppose"

She glared at him.  
"What, and I suppose your family are full of festivities at this time of  
year?" She asked him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Whats with the attitude?" He asked her casually, playing with the napkin  
in front of him on the table.

"What's with _your _ attitude?" She mimicked him.

Draco looked up at her then.  
Her eyes were boring into him, trying to search him for answers that he  
couldn't give her.

Did he have an attitude?  
Maybe he did.  
But after the other day, he had realised that he needed to figure himself  
out, before she did it all for him.  
It was a confusing thing, really. He _knew _ he had changed, but it was  
more than likely that he didn't want to admit that he had...

But then, if he hadn't changed; he wouldn't be the Father he is to Airyn  
now.

Now there was something to think about.

So, why did he have an attitude with Granger?  
It wasn't like she was to blame for his changes, was she?  
Or was she?  
Had she done it to him without him even realising it?

"Are you going to answer me, or are you going to sit and stare into space  
all day?" She asked him, still waiting on his answer.

Draco shook his thoughts away.  
"I didn't realise I had an attitude" He told her.

"Well, you've had one for a few days now" She answered him. "I don't know  
what me or my family have done to offend you, but there really is no need  
for you to be so distant with everyone"

Draco hadn't even noticed.  
He had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't spared a thought  
for anyone but himself and Airyn.

And now he was feeling guilty.  
And Draco Malfoy had not felt guilt for along time.

"I apologise" He told her quietly.

Hermione stretched out her hands on the table, as though attempting to take  
one of his in hers.  
But she stopped herself.

Did Draco Malfoy just apologise to her?  
That was probably the best progress they had made so far.

Hermione studied his face.  
He seemed so lost in his own thoughts. Maybe he was thinking about  
_her_ ...she knew he liked her because they had already slept together  
on numerous occasions...

Maybe that's what was bothering him;  
She wasn't with him for Christmas.

She wasn't with him full stop, because she was with Ron.

Hermione sighed.  
She would have to be the bigger person here.  
"I'm sure Parvati doesn't feel anything for Ron" She told him  
sympathetically.

Draco shot a look at her.  
What a strange statement... where the hell had Parvati Bloody Patil come  
from?  
...Or maybe she was saying it out loud in the hopes that she would be  
right...

Maybe Granger did like Weasley after all.

He felt that hand squeezing his heart again...  
He didn't like the thought of that one bit.

He shrugged.  
"Maybe Weasley doesn't like Parvati, either..."

Hermione found it strange that she didn't seem to care all that much  
anymore.  
For some reason, the thought of Ron being with Parvati didn't hurt half as  
much as the thought of Malfoy being with her...  
And that scared her beyond belief.

"Hermione?" Paul's voice interrupted their conversation.

Both teenagers looked up, to find Paul holding Airyn in his arms; her tiny  
pink all-in-one covering her from head to toe, and the lilac pacifier  
bobbing up and down in her mouth slowly as she sucked on it.

Draco smiled.  
She was looking at him avidly, whilst trying to rub her eyes through the  
material of the babygrow that covered her tiny fingers.

"Is she ok?" Hermione asked her Father.

Paul smiled.  
"She is now that she's firmly out of Tina's grasp." He said, swinging Airyn  
slightly in his arms. "I tell you, this little Princess has become a firm  
family favourite"

"Unlike me" Hermione said with a sigh. "Once they heard about Airyn, they  
were all looking at me like I was some sort of slut...and you don't want to  
know what they thought of Mal-" Hermione almost swore. "- _Draco _"

Paul rolled his eyes.  
"You know your Mother's side of the family are prim and proper, Love" He  
told her. "Look at your Mum and me. We weren't married, and we certainly  
weren't old enough to know what responsibility was...but we got by, and look  
how you ended up"

Hermione smiled at him.

Draco couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face.  
So the rest of Granger's family didn't like him, did they?

Well fuck them, because the only people that were worth his time inside the  
house at the moment were the people who owned it.

_'Why are you getting so defensive, Draco? It's never bothered you before  
when Muggles didn't like you_ '

He knew why.  
It was because it was Granger's family.

"I've just come to let you know that because there are more people than  
there are beds, that your Aunt Tina will be sleeping in Draco's room  
tonight" Paul told his daughter, bending down and putting Airyn into her  
arms, who looked around curiously at the new position she was put in.

Draco frowned.  
"So I take it I'm downstairs on the couch tonight?"

Paul shook his head.  
"No, Uncle Henry is on the couch...he said it helps with his back spasms if  
he doesn't sleep with Tina...can't think why..."

Hermione giggled.  
"So is _ Draco_ on the beanbag by the television?"

Draco wanted to cry.  
So now he was getting demoted because of stupid Aunt Tina?!

Paul shook his head again, giving his Daughter a smirk.  
"Your cousin Chris is there"

Hermione gave him a confused look.  
So...if he's not in his room, and he's not on the couch, and he's not on the  
beanbag, then where -

"Your Mother and I have agreed that he can stay in your room for the night"  
Paul told her casually. "He can have the spare mattress under your bed, and  
the blanket and pillows from the cupboard under the stairs"

Hermione couldn't even blink.  
Had she just heard her Father right?

"I suppose it would work out better when it comes to Airyn" He told them,  
seeing their confused faces. "At least then you can both take it in turns,  
instead of struggling with insomnia"

Draco smirked.  
Of all the things that Mr.Granger could say; he hadn't expected that in the  
slightest.

"It's only for tonight, mind you" Paul then told them, seeing the look in  
Draco's eyes. "Everything will go back to normal tomorrow night"

Hermione nodded her head.  
Inside, she couldn't help but feel excited and disappointed at the same  
time.

For once in her life, she was extremely glad that her fat Aunt Tina was  
staying over at Christmas.

Malfoy was going to be sleeping in _her _ room...with _her_ there  
too.

"I need to go and make the bed up" Paul told them as he walked towards the  
kitchen door. "I think Chris wants to see you in the Living room, 'Mione"

Draco watched him disappear from the door.  
Then he turned to Granger and got her attention with his eyes.

"So...me and you in a bedroom..." His voice sounded dangerously low, and his  
eyes were glistening with some sort of twinkle that she had never seen  
before. "...that should be pleasant..."

Hermione gulped.  
What was he insinuating by the word 'pleasant'?

"You're on the floor, Malfoy" She told him simply, trying not to let her  
voice show how nervous she had suddenly become at the prospect of him being  
with her all night. "Don't get any ideas"

Draco grinned at her.  
"Nothing you haven't already thought of"

If the truth were told, then Draco wasn't expecting anything.  
They certainly weren't there yet...hell, they had only managed a few kisses,  
and none of them had been whilst they were in this house...

He just liked to see how far he could push her before she caved in and  
showed him exactly what she was thinking...and surprisingly, she was  
thinking the very thing that he hadn't expected of her.

And that pleased him more than anything.

- - -

Hermione munched on a green chocolate triangle from her Quality Street tin.  
Her eyes could not leave the television in front of her.

**_ ..."Dear Red. If you're reading this, you've gotten out. And if you've  
come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further. You remember  
the name of the town, don't you? I could use a good man to help me get my  
project on wheels. I'll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard will be  
ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and  
no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and  
finds you well. Your friend. Andy." ... _**

Aha...so that's what the stone was for!  
No matter how many times she read a Stephen King novel, she was never  
prepared for the amazing way in which he could tell a story. She had read  
**'The Shawshank Redemption'** many times, and yet the ending still got  
her, every time.

But this was the first time she had seen it on film.  
And by the look on Malfoy's mesmerized face, she was sure that he had never  
really taken the time to figure out the joys of Muggle entertainment...

He had been silent throughout the whole film.  
The only sound she could hear from his was his breathing, which seemed to  
hitch every now and again as more of the story unraveled before his eyes.

Hermione had been slightly disappointed when Malfoy had chosen to take a  
seat opposite her on one of the chairs in the living room, instead of next to  
her on the couch. But that had been forgotten about once her Dad had put the  
film on.

And now her whole family, including Aunt Tina, Uncle Henry and cousin Chris,  
were watching the film avidly.

That was until Airyn could be heard bawling on the baby monitor.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She had such good timing.

Hermione half expected Malfoy to shoot up, and run up the stairs. But he  
didn't even flinch.  
He was far too busy indulging himself in his new found favourite past time,  
to spare a thought for Airyn.  
Hermione was well aware that television would be the death of any man.

She got up from the couch, realising that no one had even bothered to study  
her motives.  
"It's ok" She told them sarcastically. "I'm not enjoying the film in the  
slightest...I'll go"

No one batted an eyelash.  
Not even Malfoy!

So Hermione stomped up the stairs, making sure her sighs of irritation were  
heard all the way up them.  
When she turned on the landing and walked to her room, she suddenly got into  
full mother mode.  
Opening the door of her room, she walked in; the dim shimmer of the  
night light illuminating the crib by the window.

Hermione walked over and peered into the crib, seeing Airyn's face all  
screwed up as she continued to bawl.  
"It's ok baby" She told her, gently picking her up, out of the crib.  
"Mummy's here now"

Hermione rocked her in her arms, knowing that she didn't need feeding  
because she had been fed less than an hour ago...so that could only mean one  
other possibility...

Hermione lay her daughter down on the bed, unclipping the underneath of her  
babygrow, to get to the diaper inside.

"Urgh..." She moaned. "This never gets old.."

- - -

"And then the ships went _ BOOM_ You really need to see that film,  
Drake! It's really good, and there are loads of soldiers and everything!"

Draco felt like hitting his head against a brick wall.  
He had absolutely no idea what this kid was going on about.

What the bloody hell was a gun?

"But the army ships are the best, even though my Dad said that it's not a  
real army ship, because they wouldn't let them have any on the film set,  
apparently-"

"Chris, I'm sure _Drake _doesn't want to be bored by your stories" Came  
Henry's irritatingly sour drawl.

Where the hell did _'Drake' _come from, anyway?

He hadn't even noticed that Granger had disappeared until Paul had turned  
the film off.  
He had asked Draco if he thought it was any good, to which Draco could only  
answer with a nod of the head.

Good? It was bloody fantastic!  
For once, the Muggle world had something that the Wizarding world would  
surely envy!  
Draco had decided that from then on, he would have to take every ample  
opportunity to turn on the _'goggle box'_ (As Granger's Dad so fondly  
called it) and take a look at what else he could watch...

"-I disagree, Tina" Henry said from his place on the couch, midway through  
conversation. "Those funny little make believe films that you watch are a  
load of old tripe...give me a good old fashioned war film, any day"

Tina turned her nose up at him.  
"My films are not tripe...it just so happens that I happen to be a fan of  
fiction"

Henry barked in laughter.  
"You mean like those stupid films with Fairies and Witches?" He asked her.  
"They're a load of bullocks!"

Tina looked at him sternly.  
"Henry! Watch your language!"

Draco smirked.  
This man really had no idea what he was talking about.

"I like Fairies" Christopher announced from his place on the floor, besides  
Draco's leg. "They're very pretty, and they have magic wands that can grant  
your wishes"

Draco snorted.  
Was THIS the stuff that Muggle kids learned at School? Draco had a feeling  
that a lesson was due to the small boy.  
"On the contrary" He spoke up, seeing Henry's eyes glance over to him.  
"Fairies have a nasty bite, and the wands that they have are only used to  
cast _nosey-parkers_ away from their forests..."

Chris looked at him with big eyes.  
"But...but, what about Tinkerbell?"

Draco frowned.  
Who the bloody hell was that?

"Pish-tosh" Henry announced with a laugh. "He's just trying to ruin your  
imagination, Christopher"

Draco felt his blood begin to boil.  
"Actually, I'm giving him a lesson" He told the old man. "And just for  
Christopher's information; the last I heard, Tinkerbell was used as a pet  
name for a man's penis"

Tina's mouth opened in shock.  
Chris started laughing gleefully from his place on the floor, whilst Henry  
watched as Draco got up from his place and walked out of the room.

"Such arrogance!" Tina said quietly, still in shock.

Henry nodded his head.  
He didn't know where that boy had come from, but he certainly had no  
manners.

- - -

"They are the biggest gang of wankers that I have ever had the displeasure  
of meeting..."

Hermione wanted to glare at him and defend them...but he was completely  
right.

They were nowhere near her favourite Aunt and Uncle, and if truth be told  
she could honestly say that she did despise them quite a lot...but then,  
that happened in every family, didn't it?

"I mean-" He carried on, pacing back and forth on the carpet of her bedroom.  
"-What right do they have to shoot ME down?!" He asked her angrily. "Do they  
not know who I am?"

Hermione laughed at him, despite the look her gave her.  
"Malfoy, to them your just an _average Joe_ ..."

He frowned at her.  
"My names not _Joe _ " He spat at her sarcastically. "But that doesn't  
excuse the fact that they could have been a lot nicer with their stinking  
attitudes"

"Pot, kettle and black come to mind, Malfoy" Hermione told him matter of  
factly, still patting Airyn on her back gently. "In the Muggle world, no one  
has any idea about who you OR your family are...the Malfoy name is nothing  
here"

Draco scowled at her, and then plopped himself down onto her comforter in a  
huff.  
He decided that he didn't like this new turn of events.  
He had never been looked down on for what he was before...he got the feeling  
that he was being trodden on, like shit on the bottom of their shoes...

So _that _ was what it felt like to be called a Mudblood?

"Well, I don't like it" He protested, folding his arms over his chest like a  
spoiled child.

Hermione was instantly reminded of what he was like a few months  
ago...in fact, she had the feeling that his old _arrogant-  
prick-of-a-self _was going to make a reappearance...

"Don't frown so much" She told him in a whisper. "You'll get premature  
wrinkles"

Draco frowned even more in disgust.  
How was he going to get through the rest of tomorrow with that old coot  
downstairs?

_'There's always my new found friend, the 'goggle box'...'_ He thought  
to himself.

Ah! Que surprise...he had just spotted one in the corner of Granger's room.

Draco stood from the chair suddenly, and then made his way over to the  
television set.  
Hermione watched him curiously as he inspected it. And her eyes grew wide  
when she saw him hit it on it's side, trying to find the way to turn it on.

"Malfoy!" She spat, trying to shield Airyn's ears from the noise. "She's  
just starting to drift off!"

Her looked at her apologetically.  
"I think the bloody thing's broken" He told her, talking about the T.V. "The  
images won't appear in the box..."

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
She got up from her place on the bed, and placed Airyn into her crib. Then  
she made her way to the other side of the room, where Malfoy was having  
trouble.

She gently pushed past him, and flicked a button on the side of the  
television.  
The images suddenly came into view on the screen.

"Magic!" Draco said under his breath.

"Decidedly not" Hermione answered him, smirking at the look of awe on his  
face.

He would probably burst with excitement if he found out what a toaster  
did...

Hermione was about to tell him how to channel-hop, when she found he was no  
longer at her side.  
She looked around her room quickly, until she saw him lying there in the  
middle of her bed. Shoes on and everything!

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Draco seemed half distracted, trying to see past her to where she was  
blocking his view from the T.V.  
"I'm knitting" He told her casually. "What does it look like"

Hermione folded her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes and counted to  
ten, trying to regain her patients that had decided to take a backseat.  
"Would you mind telling me exactly _why _ you are on my bed...and with  
your shoes on, no less!"

Draco smirked at her.  
He suddenly flicked his shoes off, flinging them in her general direction.  
"Oh Granger...you prude" He teased lightly, resting his head on both arms  
behind his head, making himself more comfortable. "Don't tell me you've  
never had a boy on your bed before...or _in _ it, either..."

Hermione scowled at him this time.  
"I knew there was a reason to still slightly hate you"

Draco suddenly brought one hand to his heart, faking being wounded.  
"Oh Granger...you've hurt me deep" He suddenly grabbed a pillow from behind  
his head and flung it at her. "Either get over here or leave the  
room...either way I want you out of the way of the box"

Hermione sighed heavily.  
And then she suddenly felt uncomfortable.  
What did she do? Did she leave the room and go downstairs...or did she take  
her place next to him on the bed?  
On HER bed?

_ 'Dammit...there goes the last of my sanity...'_

Hermione slowly approached the bed, first sitting down slowly on the edge  
and staying there.  
What was she being so timid for? It was HER bed, for fuck sakes!

"Granger" He said casually from behind her, his head propped up on the  
pillows and headboard. "Get your arse up this end, I can't see the  
tele-bopsie with your magnificently bushy head in the way"

Hermione looked around at him.  
"Tele-bopsie?"

He shrugged.  
"I don't know how to pronounce the bloody thing, do I?" He told her. "I was  
only introduced to my new friend not two hours ago...we're still making  
acquaintances..."

Hermione picked at her bedsheets for a moment, wondering whether she should  
obey Malfoy, or stay where she was.

"For god's sake, Granger" He said finally with a sigh. "I don't bite, you  
know"

Hermione smirked, looking up at him.  
"Oh, I have it on very good authority that you do"

He said nothing. Instead, he patted the bed beside him in a friendly  
gesture, and then watched as she gave in and scooted further up the bed  
until she was sitting beside him.

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn he saw the feigntest smile on  
her face before she moved.

- - -

"I don't get it"

"He's in love with her!"

"But how? He spent years hating everything that her type stood for!"

"Well, obviously he had a change of heart..."

Draco just didn't get it.  
Maybe this was why televisions weren't introduced to the Wizarding  
world...they were far too complicated to watch, and the programs were likely  
to make your head explode...

"Well, that's just stupid" He told her casually, putting his hand inside the  
nachos bag and taking out a rather large handful.  
He could get used to this. Muggle snack food was actually quite a novelty  
for him...he never realised they had such good taste when it came to their  
taste buds.

Hermione sighed, keeping her eyes on the television.  
"It's not stupid...it's just the way he sees her, now"

Hermione hadn't realised just how comfortable she had gotten, not realising  
that her body was now almost touching Malfoy's, and she was now sharing the  
same pillow as him.

But I guess that's what you got when you watched a full season re-run of  
_'Buffy The Vampire Slayer.'_

"I can see why he finds her attractive" Draco told her absentmindedly,  
through a mouthful of nachos. "But she was a complete and utter cow to him  
for years...or maybe thats why he likes her?"

"Spike's a sick puppy" Hermione admitted.

But he was damn hot!

"He's probably the only character I can remotely stand..."

Hermione smirked.

_ 'I wonder why that is...?'_

She withdrew her eyes from the television and looked at the alarm clock on  
the other side of Malfoy.

"Oh my god...it's 3am!" She whispered to him quietly.

Draco looked round at the clock, also.  
"Well bugger me backwards...doesn't time fly when you're fighting Vampires  
and living on a Hellmouth..."

Hermione gave him a strange look.  
"I think you are too easily influenced by the television..."

Draco frowned at her.  
"I am not...but I would like to meet half the people in these programs..."

Hermione snorted.  
Aha...now she knew why he was so taken with the bloody thing...  
"Malfoy...the television programs aren't real, you know?"

Draco pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at her.  
"Come again?"

Hermione smiled at him. He was looking down on her now from his sitting  
position as she lay still on the bed.  
"All those programs we have watched tonight are ficticious..."

"Meaning?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Meaning that _Spike _and _Maulder and Skully_ and all of your  
other new friends aren't real...they're played by actors"

Draco took this in for a moment.  
Well...how was he to know?

Draco came to the conclusion that the Muggle world could only create a  
fiction world for themselves, as they were obviously missing the magical  
touch of something that was right in front of them.  
So Muggles didn't know that Vampires were actually real?

They had a lot to learn...

Hermione closed her eyes momentarily; she yawned and then stretched.

Draco glanced down at her, and immediately wished he hadn't.  
As she stretched her arms above her head, her pert breasts stuck out to  
tease him. He looked at them for a moment, taking in the way they made his  
hands burn to touch them.

Hermione chose this exact moment to open her eyes.

They looked at each other for a moment, wondering what the other was  
thinking.  
Hermione felt chills run down her spine at the thought of Malfoy looking at  
her so intimately, thinking that she had not seen him.

Draco subconsciously lowered his upper body further down to the bed, his  
chest almost grazing hers as he hovered above her slightly, but on his side.  
He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, and he was sure that his body was  
about to betray him in a big way...but just looking into her hazel eyes, he  
knew that he didn't care because it meant that he got to touch her again.

Hermione noticed him getting closer.  
Did they risk this? Did they risk being caught by her Mum and Dad on HER  
bed? ...doing god knows what?  
And if they were going to risk doing something...then what was it that they  
were going to risk?

Hermione knew that sex was out of the question.  
On both of their parts, it was likely that sex would never come into it.  
Neither of them knew what was happening, so the thought of intercourse was  
out of the window before either of them could contemplate it further...

But wasn't that what they were seriously thinking of doing not a few weeks  
ago?  
Hadn't her body given in willingly to him then?

Draco could see all sorts of conflicting emotions running through her. He  
could tell that she was slightly anxious about his position. He knew she  
wasn't experienced in the slightest, she didn't have to tell him that for  
him to realise it.  
And yet, a few weeks ago he could have swore that she knew every trick in  
the book...the way she managed to tempt him, and the way she managed to make  
him feel so strongly for her through clouded passion...

Draco felt his lips graze hers before he knew what he was actually doing.  
His upper body was almost on top of her now, and his left arm had shot out to  
one side of her head, to hold his position above her.

Hermione felt herself being drawn to him, almost as if her body had been  
waiting for this moment all along. She shuddered in contentment when his  
lips slowly touched hers...a whisper of a kiss on her lips.  
She found herself desperately wanting to deepen it, wanting to feel more of  
him on her than she ever had before.

But as soon as it was there; it was gone again.  
She looked at him with an anxious look on her face as his body left hers,  
and got up from the bed altogether.  
Draco didn't face her; he kept his back to her the whole time, until he had  
turned off her television on the opposite side of the room.

"What's wrong?" She asked him quietly.  
She heard the quiver in her voice, wondering if he had noticed it, too.

"We can't do this" He told her in a low voice. "It's too hard"

Hermione drew in a shaky breath and put her head back further into the  
pillows.  
She closed her eyes and decided that he wasn't really there.

So this was how he was going to be? One minute he was at boiling point, and  
the next he was as cold as ice.

"Let's just leave it, then" She told him finally, finding herself glaring at  
his back. "What you don't have won't hurt you when it's gone"

He still didn't turn and look at her.

"What you don't have hurts all the more when you know you can't have it"

And with that, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to stop herself from screaming in  
frustration.

_ 'Merry fucking Christmas to you, too...'_


	26. Chapter 26

** Chapter Twenty Six**

_ 'When I was a young boy.  
My Father took me into the city,  
to see a marching band.  
He said;  
"Son,  
when you grow up.  
Would you be the Saviour of the broken?  
The beaten,  
and the damned?"'_

Hermione woke to find the bedroom empty of both Airyn and Malfoy.  
She could see the sun stretching itself thinly through the curtains, and she  
knew full well what that meant.

Christmas Day.

But she didn't feel like moving an inch out of her bed.  
She just wanted to stay there all day and reflect on what had happened last  
night.

When Malfoy had left the room, Hermione had sank back into her mattress and  
done nothing but fret about exactly what he was thinking...what he was  
doing...how he was feeling...  
But he had made it more than obvious that whatever he was thinking; it  
wasn't about her.

He had returned to the room half an hour later. Hermione had turned on her  
side and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.  
He didn't speak to her...but she could still feel him glancing at her every  
now and again.  
He then got down onto the mattress on the floor, and after that she heard  
nothing from him all night.

She did glance at him once, however.  
At half five this morning, Airyn had started crying for her feed. Hermione  
was well enough prepared to get up and see to her daughter, but when she  
decided to get out of the bed, she looked over to see that Malfoy was  
already there.

She had studied his back from beneath her warm blanket.  
It was funny, but his whole persona changed as soon as he had Airyn in his  
arms.  
It was almost as if he was whole.

After fifteen minutes of Airyn's relentless crying, Malfoy had given up and  
decided to take the baby downstairs.  
Hermione must have fallen asleep not long after, because she hadn't seen him  
since, and that was a few hours ago.

"Hermione?" Came a voice from the landing, disturbing her from her thoughts.

She groaned inwardly.  
She wasn't ready to go downstairs yet.

"Hermione! It's Christmas day, darling!" Her father shouted cheerily at her.

She cleared her throat. "Okay Dad, I'll be down in a minute"

If this day didn't go well, then she might as well kill herself.

---

Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she entered the room.  
He tried to keep his attention on Airyn and the way her tiny fingers were  
attempting to pull on his black t-shirt, but he still couldn't help the way  
his breath hitched involuntarily in his throat when he felt her presence.

What was he going to say to her?  
Would he explain to her about last night, or would he just wait until the  
dust settled again?

Normally the latter would make more sense...but lately he felt like he had  
to be at least remotely responsible for his actions.  
So he was going to explain to her, was he?

How the hell was he supposed to go about that?

If she knew _exactly _what he was thinking last night, just before he  
had gotten up and walked away...she would probably never speak to him again.

Was it wrong?  
Was it unhealthy to want someone so much that you feel like you might  
combust if you don't have them?  
If so, then the professionals had better cart him off to St. Mungo's  
Hospital right now.  
Because that was exactly how he was feeling last night.  
And it scared him to his wits end.

She was supposed to be everything he didn't want.  
And yet here she was...tormenting his dreams and making him send so many  
mixed signals that even HE was getting confused...

Why was life so bloody difficult?

Hermione ignored him as she made herself some breakfast and then sat down at  
the opposite end of the table.  
She did try and glance at him a few times, but then found herself thinking  
that he didn't deserve her looks of acknowledgment...what he did to her  
last night was highly embarrassing...if she was a lesser woman, she might  
want to get revenge in some way.

"Santa brought Airyn lots and lots of presents last night" Janet told her  
daughter, and then lifted Airyn out of Draco's arms and into the air as she  
carried her off into the living room.

"I think he forgot yours though, sweetheart" Paul told Hermione casually,  
reading his paper.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
Every year he tried that little joke on her. He wasn't going to get her this  
time.

"Maybe she's not been good enough for presents" Uncle Henry said giddily as  
he made his way into the kitchen.  
He gave Draco a look before bending down and giving Hermione a kiss on the  
cheek. "Merry Christmas"

Hermione smiled as a present was put in front of her on the table.

She said her thank you's and then got back to eating her cereal, completely  
ignoring the fact that she could feel _him _ staring at her.

"Did you receive anything, Draco?" Paul asked the boy, finally folding his  
paper in half and munching on a piece of toast.

Draco shrugged.  
He didn't get presents and he never received any, either.  
Nothing that was worth waiting for, anyway.

It was sad really, but he never bothered with Christmas, because Christmas  
just never seemed to bother with him.  
The quicker it was over, the better.

"I don't really get many presents anyway, to be honest" He told the table  
casually.

Everyone looked at him.

Even Hermione couldn't seem to help herself.

Was that some kind of joke?  
Did the Spoiled Brat of Slytherin think he could get away with telling such  
big lies?

"Your family is rich, Draco" Hermione told him stubbornly. "I'm sure they  
could afford to buy you more than enough presents to fill your third bedroom  
with"

Henry looked at the boy wide eyed.  
"A rich family, you say?"

Draco wanted to snarl at him.  
Trust an old miser to prick up his ears as soon as the word "Money" became  
involved...Muggles were just as bad as Purebloods in that respect, it  
seemed.

"Not that rich" Hermione answered in a deadpan sort of tone. "Money can't  
buy you everything"

Draco glanced up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time that day.  
"But it helps"

Hermione held his stare for a second.  
Her eyes were trying to ask him something...

Draco understood.  
She was asking him _why_ ?

Maybe she didn't mean to.  
Maybe her eyes just gave it away to him before she could recover  
herself...but it was too late.

And he would have to answer her sooner or later.

"Everyone out of the kitchen" Janet announced suddenly, coming back into the  
kitchen.  
She plonked Airyn back down onto Draco's knee and started bustling about the  
kitchen, in a Mrs Weasley-type fashion.  
"I have cooking to do, and I am not going to get anything done with everyone  
in here"

Hermione rolled her eyes and then pushed her cereal bowl away from her.  
She slowly got up from her chair and started walking into the living room.

"Do you want to take Airyn?" Draco asked her, also getting up from the  
chair. "I've got to go back upstairs"

Hermione nodded, deciding not to look at him as he handed the baby over to  
her.  
She noticed the pretty little pink dress on her daughter, finding it very  
cute that she could manage to look so sweet

"Come on Airyn" She said quietly, as she glanced at Malfoy's retreating back  
making it's way up the stairs. "Let's go and see what Santa brought us..."

---

Draco sighed to himself as he sat on the edge of Granger's bed.  
He had decided that he needed to take a short break from everyone...and  
being in such close proximity to Granger was really starting to make him  
lose his mind.  
In more ways than one.

All he could smell was her scent...surrounding him and pulling him in so  
deep that he was certain he would never get out.

He looked around the room momentarily before putting his head into his hands  
in defeat.  
The girl had really gotten to him.

If he hadn't of been as strong willed as he was last night, then there was  
no way that she would be the same person that she was this morning.  
If Draco had never walked away, then they would have a lot more to talk about  
than why he actually did.

She had no idea what she did to him.  
THAT was the insane part.  
She was too innocent to even comprehend the fact that she was driving him up  
the wall, just by being in the same room as him.  
This morning had proved that, especially now that he was feeling an enormous  
sense of guilt for just walking out on her like he had last night.

But what was he supposed to say?

_ "I'm sorry Granger, but if I didn't walk away last night then there's a  
chance that I would never have let you out of bed for at least a  
fortnight...literally"_

"Fuck it" He said to himself, running his hands through his hair and  
standing up from the bed.

And to top everything off;  
It was Christmas Day, and he didn't even have two sickles' to rub together!  
He couldn't even buy his own daughter a Christmas present!

Not that he had ever bought anyone anything before.  
He never needed to.

"Fuck it all to hell"

---

Hermione's eye's lit up with happiness.  
Ron and Harry had really out-done themselves this year...although it was  
apparent that Harry had more than likely had some help from Milicent,  
judging by the choosing of his present.

She would have to thank them later, when they all came round for drinks.  
They did it for the first time last year, and decided to repeat the  
tradition this time around. Only this time they would be bringing their  
significant others, and Neville had also been asked to pop round.

_ 'Which means that bloody Pansy will probably turn up...' _

Hermione stroked the leather binding of the 16th Century spell book that  
Harry had bought for her, and then laughed giddily when she looked at the  
baby grows that he had bought for Airyn.

_ 'If you think I'm ugly, you should see my Father'_ It stated on one of  
them.

Hermione knew it was probably the only way Harry was going to be able to get  
a dig in about Malfoy for a while.

Malfoy.

Speaking of the pain in her arse...he had been gone for a while now...

"I want to open another one!" Chris moaned, still seeing Hermione's  
unwrapped presents allover the place.

"They're Hermione's, darling" Tina told him sternly, still in her fushia  
coloured night gown and looking a little worse for wear.

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
As much as she loved her cousin...he really was a little brat. She sincerely  
hoped that Airyn would never get like that.

"There's a small one over here, 'Mione" Janet told her, holding a long  
rectangle parcel up to her daughter.

"Throw it over" Hermione told her mother, Airyn still resting on her knee.

Janet gave her a look, and walked over to her daughter with the present.  
Hermione looked at the pleasant wrapping paper, shining gold with silver  
angels placed here and there.  
It had attracted Airyn's attention also, who decided that she wanted to try  
and grab at it.

"No, no" Hermione told her, laughing slightly. "Let Mummy open it, and then  
you can have the wrapping paper"

Hermione gently opened the top end of the paper, still struggling to keep  
Airyn from trying to unwrap it with her. She peeked inside, but could only  
see a blue box.

It had to be something expensive if it came in a box.

The Head girl slowly pulled the oblong box out of the wrapping paper.  
Airyn pounced immediately, her tiny fingers fiddling with the paper,  
bringing it as close to her face as she could and examining it.

The blue box was plain, and there was no sign or giveaway as to what it  
could be.  
Slowly, Hermione opened the box on the hinge and peered inside at her  
present.

It took her breath away.

She looked up, beaming at her Mother and Father on the other side of the  
room.

"Who bought this for me?"

Paul and Janet gave each other a look.

"Why? What is it?" Janet asked curiously.

Hermione held up the silver chain with the diamond encrusted locket attached  
to it.  
Inside was a picture of Airyn, and it looked like it was taken recently.

Paul shook his head as he came closer to examine it.  
"It's very pretty...someone must really like you"

Hermione eyed him curiously.  
"So it wasn't you?"

Paul shook his head.  
"I don't have that type of money, sweetheart"

She looked over at her Mother.

Janet also shook her head.  
"I'm afraid that I am in the same boat as your Dad"

Hermione was about to question exactly who would buy her something so  
utterly priceless...  
but then her answer came walking back down the stairs.

---

Draco didn't quite know what to say when Granger brought him into a  
bear-like hug.  
And here he was thinking she hated his guts right about now.

But what did confuse him was the fact that she was thanking him.  
And when he went to ask her _'what for?'_ , Paul stepped directly on his  
big toe and interrupted him.

They were all officially barking mad.

Before anyone could say anything else, Janet had ordered Granger to take  
Airyn upstairs and bath her.  
Draco was about to follow her footsteps and go with her, until Paul stepped  
in the way and asked Draco if he would like to go into the conservatory with  
him...

Which made Draco want to actually shit his pants.

Since when had another Father wanted a word with him?  
Had he done something wrong?  
Maybe he knew about everything that was going on with him and Granger?

"Have a seat, Draco" Paul told him casually.

Draco sat on demand.  
It wasn't something that he would normally do...but he oddly respected Mr.  
Granger, for some unknown reason...  
Draco Malfoy...respect a Muggle?  
And who said the world hadn't gone mad?

Paul pottered around with a stack of books. It reminded Draco of how Granger  
seemed to handle her time keeping in the library...and now he could  
definitely see where she got it all from.  
Paul Granger's passion for books had been passed down to his daughter, there  
was no doubt about that.

"Is there something wrong, Sir?" Draco asked politely.

Paul smiled at him.  
"No, nothing wrong in the slightest." The man finally took a seat opposite  
Draco, and kept smiling at him. "Myself and Janet are aware of your money  
situation, and we thought that with it being Christmas and all that we would  
help you out"

Draco frowned at him.  
He didn't take charity.

"We are not making it out to be charity, of course" Paul told him, as if he  
had read the teenagers mind. "We are more than aware that you have the money  
to pay us back whenever you find it convenient"

Draco nodded, but still didn't understand what Paul was getting at.

"Our Hermione was very impressed with the necklace, though"

The penny dropped.  
So THAT was why she had hugged him?  
Because she thought that he had bought her a necklace?

"But she doesn't know that it was yourself and Janet who bought it for her?"

Paul shook his head.  
"At the end of the day, technically the necklace came from you if you are  
going to pay us back"

Draco nodded.  
Then he looked over at the man.  
"Why did you do that for me?"

Paul smirked.  
"Because I have personally never seen our Hermione any happier. This baby  
business has brought about a different change in her. She seems more content  
with what she does"

Draco knew what he meant.  
Airyn had brought a new lease of life into everyone that she touched.

"And because I like you, Draco" Paul told him seriously.

Draco looked at him curiously not knowing how to take this bit of news.  
No one had ever told him that they liked him...being liked was not something  
that Draco was used to.

"I was misunderstood when I was your age. I spent my days getting drunk, and  
my nights getting even drunker...until I met Janet" Paul rested his back  
fully against the back of the chair, as if he were ready to tell a story.

"Nothing pleased me, and for years I felt like I was walking around,  
searching for something that I couldn't find. I grew restless more often  
than not, and at times I felt like I didn't belong anywhere, and would  
always be searching for something that was never there"

Draco looked at him for a moment.  
"What happened?"

Paul smiled.  
"I found a family. Something that changed my world around completely, and  
made me feel all sorts of things that I had never felt before. It gave me a  
purpose, and I knew that I would fulfill that purpose until my dying day"

Draco frowned.  
"What was your purpose?"

"To be a good Father, and a loving Husband"

Draco put his head down.  
He had a feeling that Paul was trying to tell him something.

"I know your family background, Draco. I know that being prejudice is  
something that you have grown up with, and I would never judge anyone for  
that. But I think you need to look outside at the world and take a look  
around at what you have right now" Paul said quietly, pulling himself  
forward on his chair and looking intently at Draco.

"Before you came here, I was expecting you to be some pompous, arrogant  
little tosser who would constantly judge and ridicule both me and my  
family...but you have both shocked and surprised me to my core." Paul smiled  
then. "So either our Hermione has been telling porkie pies for the past six  
years, or you have practically grown into a man within these past few  
months?"

Draco sat in silence.

Now that was something to think about.

---

She still couldn't believe that after all that had happened last night, that  
Malfoy had actually gone out of his way to buy her a present.

Her head was practically in the clouds as she was bathing Airyn.  
When she had come back down the stairs once more, she found Malfoy sitting  
in the living room with her Dad and Uncle Henry.

She felt guilty that she had not bought anything for him.  
But then, she hadn't realised that they were that close that they should be  
buying things for each other...  
It was a very tricky business, this whole e_nemies- to- acquaintances -to-  
don't -know- what -to -call -it_ stuff...  
Someone should really write a book about it.

To Hermione, last night was now forgotten.  
Maybe he didn't want her as anything more than a friend (if he was actually  
calling her a friend now), but the present that he had bought for her had  
shown her that he had more respect for her than she thought he did.

Okay, so maybe it did hurt a hell of a lot to know that he had decided that  
he didn't want her in THAT way...but at least they got on well enough now to  
be able to communicate with each other and be able to talk to one another  
without causing a full-scale battle.

"Where are all your party hats?" Hermione asked the men in the room with a  
smile.

Draco looked around at her curiously.  
He instantly noticed the necklace around her neck, and was about to say  
something about it looking like something his Mother owned, but he bit his  
tongue.  
He felt guilty for deceiving her about the necklace.  
But he didn't think they were at the 'present giving' stage, yet. Hell, he  
didn't know what stage they were at.

However, after his conversation with Mr.Granger, he was feeling more and  
more encouraged to take the path he wanted to take, rather than the one that  
his logic was telling him to.

Did he want to go around being miserable, but doing the 'right' thing...  
or did he want to go around feeling absolutely on top of the world, but be  
doing the 'wrong' thing...

_ 'The one that makes you the happiest is usually the one that causes the  
most trouble'_

Stupid logic.

"Dinner is ready!" Janet shouted from the kitchen.

A smile rose to Draco's face as he saw Paul and Henry practically stampede  
their way out of the living room, leaving just himself, Granger and Airyn in  
the room.

Hermione gave him a slight smile.  
Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.  
"What happened last night doesn't need to be talked about" She told him  
quietly. "I completely understand your position, and I realise that you  
would rather get along with me than jeopardize our partnership with crossed  
lines-"

Draco went to open his mouth to speak.

"-No" She told him, still smiling. "It's okay, I understand the situation  
now. If we let this go any further then we will only end up getting more  
confused, and messy things happen when people get confused. So let's just  
see if we can get along and be...dare I say it?...Friends?"

Draco felt like lead had dropped into his stomach.  
Hermione felt exactly the same.

It sounded like the civil thing to do.  
Be friends...don't let it get messy...  
It still hurt like a bitch...but what could she do when she knew that he  
didn't want anything else from her apart from being her friend? If they  
could call it friendship?

Hermione gave him a huge smile before leaving the room.  
A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

For once in his life, Draco felt like he was at a dead end.  
Nowhere to turn.  
Just as Mr. Granger had given him this big speech about Family, and being  
saved by the ones you love the most...and then Granger goes and pulls this  
on him?

Irony...you sick son of a bitch.

---

"Hermione!"

"Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

Ginny threw her arms around her friend warmly.  
Then she quickly looked over in Malfoy's direction and cooed at the baby.

"Awww, Hermione! She's absolutely gorgeous!" She exclaimed, walking up to the  
baby in Draco's arms and plucking her out of them. "She definitely has your  
looks"

Hermione giggled, but tried to hide it when she felt Malfoy glaring at her.

Draco decided to ignore the red-headed imbecile.  
But what was he to do when Granger's home was suddenly beginning to fill  
itself with her friends?  
He could see Weasley and Patil attempting to get their double-joined pram  
through the door with no success in the slightest. And behind them he could  
make out the mass of black messy hair...Potter, no doubt.

"I hope we're having drinks" Seamus said, more to himself than anyone as he  
took off his coat. "This parenting business has really been taking it's toll  
on me lately...I think I'm coming down with some sort of flu"

"Man flu" Parvati said, rolling her eyes and pushing her way into the house.

Draco could see Weasley glaring at her from behind her back, obviously  
disgruntled because she had left him to tend to their currently crying  
twins.

"Make your way into the Living room when you're ready" Hermione told  
everyone, instinctively going over to Ron and helping him with the pram. "My  
parent's and family will be going out shortly, so we can have the house to  
ourselves"

Draco made a motion for Ginny to give the baby back to him, but she ignored  
him and carried Airyn into the living room, plopping herself down onto the  
soft cushions of the couch.

Draco sighed and rubbed his temples.  
He could tell what sort of night he was about to have...and having  
_ Won-Won_ there was only going to add fuel to the fire that Granger had  
decided to trample allover...

Hermione glanced at him from the corner of her eye as she lifted little Joon  
out of the pram and into the air.  
Something seemed so tampered with him...like there was something he was  
trying to hide.

She had sensed it when they had been eating their Christmas dinner. It was  
like he held an air of confusion about him...almost as if he wasn't sure  
what he was supposed to do with himself.  
Maybe it was because he was eating in front of her family.  
But that doesn't explain the way he kept looking at her...the sideways  
glances when he thought she wasn't looking...

How confusing can one boy be?  
Here she was, thinking she was doing the right thing...telling him they  
should be friends and forget what was gradually happening to them...and now  
he was doing exactly the opposite!

"Are you Okay, 'Mione?" Ron asked her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She took a moment before answering.  
Was she okay?

She smiled at him.  
Good, solid, dependable Ron...  
The only thing that he had done wrong was not realise that she had feelings  
for him...

_ Had_ feelings for him...

"I'm fine" She told him before turning around, coming into eye contact with  
Malfoy, who seemed to be standing awkwardly in the doorway leading to the  
Living room.

She frowned at him.  
"What's wrong with you?"

Draco scowled at her, looking like a bad-tempered five year old.  
"Nothing"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes.  
She was not in the mood for this right now. Her friends were here, it was  
Christmas day and all she wanted to do was have a good time.

Yes, she understood that Malfoy might not yet be as comfortable around her  
friends as he could be...what did she expect? All those years of hating  
each other do not just suddenly disappear within the blink of an eye...hell,  
sometimes she felt like she could hate him allover again...

But those were the days when she didn't know where he was coming from...or  
the days when his pig-ignorance seemed to show up all over again...

She watched as Malfoy stared right past her, suddenly taking an interest in  
Ron.  
When she turned, she could see Ron examining him in much the same way...his  
eyes slowly becoming dark.

She would not have fighting in her house.  
Not now, not tonight and certainly not ever.

"Malfoy, go into the kitchen and get the glasses from the cabinet, please?"  
Hermione asked him, seeing him folding his arms defiantly.

He didn't move for a few moments, but then shook his head slightly and made  
a sharp exit...glaring at Ron all the while.

Hermione watched him go.  
"I'm sorry, Ron" She said, turning to her friend. "I don't know what's  
gotten into him..."

Ron seemed to have a fairly good idea.

---

"How have they been?"

"Joon came down with a runny nose two days ago...but it was nothing that my  
mum couldn't fix" Pavati told Hermione, sounding disinterested.

Hermione watched her as she flicked her way through a Women's Muggle  
magazine, a bored look on her face.

"Me and Millicent have decided to start reading bedtime stories to Freddie  
now...maybe he will be smart enough to read them on his own by the time it  
reaches the end of the project" Harry told the room from his seat on the  
couch.

Everyone looked over at him quietly.  
For some reason, the mention of 'the end' had brought a sombre mood to the  
room.

That was until the front door was opened, and in stepped a very flustered  
looking Pansy Parkinson, followed by a deflated looking Neville who was  
pushing their son in the pram.

Draco stood quietly by the entrance of the living room, not stepping over the  
threshold.  
The only place left to sit was next to Weasley, and he would be damned if he  
was going to grace that redheaded buffoon with his presence...

"Merry Christmas, everyone" Neville called from the hallway, taking his son  
out of the pram.  
But instead of keeping him, he did something that everyone in the room  
seemed to be in awe at...he handed baby Bert over to his Mother...who cooed  
and smiled at her son, almost like she had seen him for the first time.  
Draco smiled, beside himself.  
Obviously he knew something that none of the others knew, not even Granger.

Pansy smiled warmly at Draco as she passed him, walking into the livingroom.  
"I was told by Longbottom that it would be good for me to mingle" She  
whispered in the blonde's ear. "But he told me that you were here, too. So I  
realised that it can't be all that bad"

Draco smirked.  
It was good to see her back to her usual self...well, without trying to  
molest him at every given opportunity, anyway.

"I've brought party hats!" Luna announced, delving into a big ruck-sack and  
spreading tinsel covered santa's hats allover Hermione's livingroom table.

"And I've brought the fire whiskey and butterbeers!" Ron told the group  
proudly.

Parvati shot him an evil look.  
"You're not drinking tonight. You're looking after the twins"

Ron's face deflated.

Hermione looked around at Draco.  
"Are you having a drink?"

The group looked over at him.

What was he? A prize pig at a show-and-tell parade?

"I'll have one or two, yeah" He said quietly, folding his arms over his  
chest.

Hermione nodded.  
"Okay, I guess that means that I am the official baby minder of the  
night..."

A piercing scream sudenly came from the corner.  
Ron moaned.

"Sorry" He said to the group, getting up from his place and putting Benny on  
his shoulder. "They feed irregularly...so when one is okay, the other one  
never is"

Draco smirked.  
It was quite obvious that Weasley was rather stressed about the whole  
parenting thing.

"You can use one of the bedrooms upstairs if you want to" Hermione told him.  
"Go somewhere quiet and see if he calms down"

"Thanks" Ron told her, using his free shoulder to barge past Draco in the  
hallway.

"Watch it" Draco snarled quietly, so only Ron could hear.

Ron glared at him. "I'm not the one who needs to be watching anything..."

And before Draco had a chance to take the conversation any further, Ron  
disappeared up the stairs.

Draco had half a mind to run up after him and throttle him like the earwig  
that he was. But he had to remember exactly where he was, and the type of  
manners that had been drilled into him when it came to being respectful of  
other people's houses.

"Shall we get started?" Harry asked suddenly.

Ginny nodded in excitement. "I love playing our Christmas games!"

Draco groaned inwardly.  
Christmas games? How sad...

But Draco's eyes were suddenly on storks when he saw the bottle of bright  
pink coloured liquid that Potter had just dug out of his bag.

"What's that?" Seamus asked before Draco could.

Harry smirked.  
"This is called _'Gryffindor Christmas'_"

Hermione's eyes widened.  
"Harry Potter! We can't drink that now! We have the children to think  
about!"

"What's in it?" Luna asked, looking curiously at the bottle and  
unconsciously drawing her babies wooly-hat-covered head closer to her chest,  
as if trying to protect her.

"it's 73 percent alcohol proof" Ginny answered. "Fred and George concocted it  
during their last year at Hogwarts...but obviously they couldn't sell it to  
anyone because they would have gotten into more trouble than usual"

"So it's strong, then?" Neville asked.

"Ron had a hangover for two weeks after one glass" Harry told him with a  
laugh. "Since then we have only ever taken it in shots...anything more than  
that is lethal"

"But we can't drink because of the kids" Pansy stated, and once more  
everyone looked around at her with an expression of shock on their faces.

"She's right" Hermione agreed.

"I'm sure one shot won't hurt, Granger" Draco spoke from the door.

Hermione scowled at him.  
"Fine. But if I have to put you to bed in a drunken stupor, then there is no  
way that I am even going to THINK about talking to you in the morning"

A few of the students sniggered.  
Including Draco.

It was only alcohol...how bad could it be?

---

It was bad.

Obviously a few of them had never really had alcohol before...well, weren't  
they the stupid ones?

Draco didn't feel too bad.  
Every now and again he could feel the room spinning a little, but he could  
control himself enough to know that he shouldn't have to drink anymore,  
otherwise he would be completley on his arse.

After half an hour of testing the product, and laughing hysterically at the  
looks on everyone's faces when they took their shot; Seamus told everyone  
that they should try a drinking game.

Hermione, of course had refrained from drinking.  
She was currently pre-occupying her time with Airyn, Antonia and Freddie who  
were all lying side by side in Airyn's play pen. Pansy was sat on the couch  
watching the shinannigans with Benny and Joon on each knee, and her son Bert  
in his stroller next to her side of the couch.

"It's basically called; _'I've never'_ " Seamus told them. "You give  
people a sentence that begins with _ 'I've never'_ , and if anyone HAS  
actually done what that person says, then they have to take a shot"

Harry frowned.  
"I don't get it"

Milicent laughed.  
"You never do"

Draco, who was now sat on the beanbag by the television piped up.  
"Basically, if you turned around and said; _"I've never shagged a  
girl" _ , then anyone who HAS shagged a girl has to take a shot"

Ron scowled at him.  
"Trust you to make it dirty"

Draco smirked.  
"It's not like you would have to drink anyway, Weasley...so what are you  
getting so hyped up about?"

Ron didn't retort, but just stuck his fingers up at the blonde instead.

"Anyway" Seamus butted in. "Who wants to start?"

The room was silent for a moment.

"I've never been in Hagrid's 'Care of magical creatures' class and wanted to  
leave" Ginny said suddenly.

Everyone looked at eachother.

Everyone downed their shot at the sametime, laughing at eachother as they  
did so.

"I've never actually seen ANYTHING in Professor Trelawney's crystal ball"  
Parvati admitted with a smirk.

Ron, Harry and even Hermione looked over at her with shocked expressions.

Everyone but Luna drank held their shot.

They looked over at her curiously.

"What did you see in the crystal ball?" Seamus asked her skeptically.

Luna smiled dreamily.  
"I was looking deep within the ball and saw a stange girl looking right at  
me..."

Harry rolled his eyes.  
"Your reflection doesn't count"

Luna smiled.  
"It was my parallel me...the me from the other Universe"

Harry decided not to go any further with that statement.  
"okay...I've never pictured ANY member of staff naked"

At this, a few of them were eyeing eachother up, wondering what they were  
going to do.  
Draco could see the cogs working in some of their heads...wondering if they  
should admit it...

_'Might aswell get the ball rolling...'_

Draco lifted his shot glass and downed the liquid.  
He heard Granger's small gasp from behind him and looked at her with a small  
smile.

But that seemed to get everyone moving, because more of them were suddenly  
raising their glasses to their lips and downing their own shots.

"Who?" Hermione asked no one in particular from the play pen.

Draco knew instantly that it was aimed at him.  
"Professor Sprout" Draco admitted. "Second year...she might of been on the  
large side, but she had one huge pair of-"

"Stop" Hermione told him. "It's making me ill"

"Professor Quirrel" Parvati said, looking shamefaced. "Something about that  
turban that he worse in First year really turned me on..."

"You do know he was using that turban to hide voldemort, don't you?" Ron  
asked her, his eyes looking at her skeptically.

The girl shrugged.  
"Who cares?"

"I've never pictured having sex with anyone in this room" Seamus butted in  
suddenly.

Everyone sat there with their mouths open, not quite sure that their ears  
had heard him properly.

What was even more startling was the fact that he had just drank to his own  
sentence!

"Seamus! That's such a disgusting thing to - HARRY!" Millicent barked.

"What?" He asked after downing his own shot. "I'm drunk and I'm likely to  
never remember this by the morning anyway..."

Everyone seemed to get a little more daring as Parvati, Ron AND Draco all  
drank their shots.

Hermione's eyes glanced over to both Malfoy and Ron.

Who exactly had they been -

"-I've never slept with anyone in this room"

Parvati drank to her own sentence, too.

"PARVATI PATIL!"

Harry snorted loudly.

"Damnit" Pansy said outloud. "If I had a shot I could drink to this one!"

Draco chuckled to himself.

"I don't know what you're laughing at" Parvati told him, a smirk playing on  
her lips. "You should be taking your shot"

Draco looked at her for a moment.  
He could see that look in her eyes. That look of determination that she had  
always held right before they would fall into bed with eachother...  
He got the feeling that she was trying to get back there...

Draco took his shot, and without hesitation;  
"I've never slept with Parvati Patil in a broom cupboard..." Draco stated,  
before instantly downing his shot. "...and then regretted it later"

Draco smirked at her knowingly, and then drank to his sentence.  
The Witch scowled at him.

Hermione watched the scene play out before her.  
The looks that Parvati was giving him...the smoldering eyes and the sideways  
glances...  
The way that Malfoy was being with her.  
The way he HAD been with her...physically...they had been joined in the  
past, and by the looks of it neither of them seemed to forget it...

Hermione's stomach gave a sickening jolt.  
Something inside her had decided to rear its ugly head...and she knew it was  
jealousy.

"Give me that bottle" She stated, getting up from by the play pen and making  
her way towards the centre of the livingroom.

She picked to bottle up from the table and went with her instincts.  
She took a few gulps from it, wincing at the acidic taste burning through  
her throat as she did.

Draco looked at her curiously.  
He could tell just from her body language that something was wrong with her.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked her, getting up from his place and trying to  
take the bottle away from her. "This stuff is lethal" He told her.

Hermione let him take the bottle.  
"One swig isn't going to hurt me"

---

The room was spinning.

She knew that her friends were probably nowhere near as intoxicated as she  
was...they were still apparently playing their party games and having a good  
time...  
She however, was having a hard time being able to hold her head up.

How stupid could she have been?  
Getting jealous and acting on impulse like that. What was she trying to  
achieve?

She was supposed to be the sensible one, looking after the babies. At the  
moment, she could barely look after herself.

"Drink this water, 'Mione" Ginny told her, placing the cool glass on the  
table.

Hermione lifted her head up.  
"I can't or I'll be sick" She groaned.

It had taken alot out of her to get to the kitchen.  
The 'Gryffindor Christmas' had worked its way through her body quickly, and  
within forty-five minutes she had found herself feeling the full effects of  
her foolish behaviour.

"Close your eyes and put your head on the table" Ginny said, patting her  
hair lightly. "You'll be alright, you just need to try and concentrate on  
not throwing your guts up"

Hermione was about to retort when she heard someone else enter the room.  
She tried to concentrate on the figure infront of her, but it was no good.

"I think she just needs her bed"

Ron.

"Do we know which room is hers?" Ginny asked him.

"I'm sure 'Mione could tell us when we get there?"

"Maybe we should get Malfoy? He should know..."

"No" Ron told her defiantly. "I'll take her, then at least I know that she  
got there in one piece..."

Hermione wanted to tell Ron that Malfoy was perfectly capable of taking  
her...but all that seemed to escape from her mouth was mumbles and groans  
that did not form coherent sentences.

"Fine. But come back down and we can check on her every half an hour" Ginny  
told him, before Hermione could hear her footsteps walking away.

Hermione suddenly felt herself being hoisted up from her chair. She felt her  
arm go around Ron's shoulder, and his left arm was holding her around her  
waist to support her.

"Come on, 'Mione" He told her. "Walk with me and show me where your room is"

Hermione wanted to tell him that Malfoy would probably be better at this. He  
was stronger and could probably hold her better if she fell...but again,  
nothing came out of her mouth but jumbled words that made no sense.

Hermione felt her feet trip on the stairs.

"Oops!" Ron laughed. "It's Okay, I've got you"

But he was apparently quite drunk too, because Hermione could feel him  
fumbling his way up the stairs with her.

"I don't want...I want Mal...I need..."

"You're making no sense at all" Ron told her as they finally reached the top  
of the stairs. "We had best get you into bed as soon as possible..."

Hermione felt alarm bells going off in her head.  
For some reason, she suddenly felt uncomfortable by the way that Ron was  
being with her.

Hermione stopped walking suddenly, and tried to take her arm from around  
Ron's shoulder.  
She hit him over the head by accident, and stumbled slightly, stepping on  
his toe.

Ron keeled over, after being spiked in the foot from Hermione's stiletto,  
and unfortunately brought Hermione down to the ground with him.

This was a predicament that Hermione had not expected.  
Ron. On top of her.

She could see him through her blurry vision.  
He was looking at her face, trying to see some kind of emotion or feeling  
there...looking for something that matched his own look.

"Hermione?" He asked quietly, looking into her eyes.

She could see three of him.  
"You're hurting me" She managed to say.

He ignored her, running his fingers through her hair.

She took a moment to try and assess the situation.  
But unfortunately, her brain was too fucked up by alcohol that she could  
barely remember who he was, never mind what he appeared to be doing.

And then she felt it.  
Or rather, them.

His lips were pressed against hers aggressively, his tongue trying to seek  
entrance to her mouth.

She mumbled in displeasure, trying to move her head away, only to find that  
it was trapped between the hands that were holding it. Hermione started to  
buck underneath him, her alcohol-induced state not quite fully understanding  
the seriousness of the situation.  
Hermione had obviously given Ron the wrong impression, as he started to buck  
back against her.

Hermione finally recovered her brains and her strength long enough to pull  
her face free, and use her jellified arms to push him from her slightly.

"Please" She told him quietly. "Don't..."

Ron stopped immediately.

"I can't..." She told him, finally pushing him fully away from her and she  
shimmied her way across to the opposite side of the landing, next to the  
bathroom door.

Ron looked at her with wide eyes, apparently just realising exactly what he  
had just attempted to do.  
"I'm...I'm so sorry"

Hermione didn't look at him.  
"Don't..." She told him. She pulled her legs up to her chin and buried her  
head there, hiding her face from view. "...just leave"

"But I thought-" Ron began

"You shouldn't have" Hermione told him, trying her best to sound angry.

She didn't look up when he heard him vacate the landing and make his way  
downstairs.

Hermione stayed there for what seemed like hours.  
Just crying.

Until she felt the presence of someone familiar.

---

Draco had looked all downstairs.  
He wasn't too worried about the fact that Granger was nowhere to be seen, it  
wasn't as if she was in a strange place where she was likely to get  
lost...but judging by how drunk she looked, Draco had realised that she  
could have an accident inside her own home.

"Where's Granger?" Draco asked Ginny as he entered the living room once more.

"Ron took her to her room about ten minutes ago" Ginny told him plainly,  
stroking the sleeping babies head that was currently resting on his  
shoulder.

Draco's eyes darkened.  
"And where is he now?"

Ginny shrugged, and then gave him a dirty look.  
"Probably still up there" She told answered. "He is her friend, you know.  
He's allowed to help her"

Draco felt like snarling.  
So the little Weasley girl was just as uptight as her brother, was she?

"I'm putting Airyn to bed" He told her matter of factly, making his way  
towards the hallway.

Ginny followed him.  
"You can't" She told him. "Wait half an hour for 'Mione to fall asleep  
properly"

Draco looked around at her.  
"If you happen to be that drunk on alcohol then the chances are likely that  
you will fall asleep by the time your head hits the pillow".

And with that, he turned and headed up the stairs.

Ginny watched him go.  
Not sure whether there was another reason for why he was so persistent on  
wanting to put Airyn to bed.

---

Ginny found Ron back in the kitchen, sitting at the table and looking into  
space.

"What are you doing down here?" She asked him curiously. "I thought you were  
supposed to be helping 'Mione?"

Ron looked at her, his face sullen.  
"I tried" He told her simply.

Ginny looked at her brother for a moment.  
"Is she okay?"

Ron shrugged.  
"I don't know" He answered. "I think so..."

Did he dare tell his little sister what had happened upstairs?

"What do you mean, you think so?" She asked him, folding her arms over her  
chest.

Ron's eyes met with hers briefly.  
"Yeah...she's fine" He lied.

Maybe if he lied about it, then they would both be able to forget about it.

---

Draco could still hear everyone enjoying themselves downstairs as he made  
his way up to the top floor.  
Airyn's breath was tickling his neck, but somehow he found it very pleasant.  
Maybe it was the reassurance of knowing that she was sleeping peacefully.  
He slowly turned the corner towards the dark landing, making sure he didn't  
disturb the floorboard which seemed to squeak a little underneath his feet.

But that problem was nothing compared to what awaited him as he rounded the  
last corner, towards Granger's room and the bathroom.  
He squinted at first, not sure whether he was seeing it properly.  
But then he heard the dull moaning.  
And he knew he was right.

"Granger?" He asked quietly, still not quite sure if he should believe his  
eyes.

He heard nothing but a muffled sob.

Draco slowly walked towards her, adjusting Airyn onto his other shoulder so  
he could bend down and get a better look at the girl who was now curled up  
on the floor outside the bathroom door.

"Go away" She said through her sobbing, not looking up at him.

Draco frowned.  
What happened to Weasley putting her to bed?

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her, wincing when he felt Airyn  
moving around on his shoulder. If they weren't careful then she was going to  
wake up.

"Don't know" Was all she seemed to be able to come out with.

Draco sighed.  
Obviously Granger had never been this intoxicated before.  
Hopefully this would put her off for life.

He stood up slowly.  
He needed to get the girl into bed before she woke up with a hangover and a  
stiff neck in the morning.

"I'm going to put Airyn to bed, and then I'm going to come back and get you"  
Draco told her in a whisper.

Hermione looked up slowly as he said this.  
Her vision was still swimming, and for the faintest second she thought that  
it was Ron staring back at her in the darkness.  
But to her utter relief, she found Malfoy staring worriedly at her instead.

She said nothing and watched him charge down the hallway and into her  
bedroom.  
Hermione lay there for what seemed like hours. Wondering if her mind had was  
still as nonfunctional as her body seemed to be.

What happened to the days when it was Malfoy whom she would hate to have to  
rescue her from a position like this?  
Now, she seemed glad of it.

She heard his footsteps return to her after a few minutes.  
Then she felt his presence as he bent down so he was at her level.

"Were you trying to get to the bathroom?" He asked her quietly, an amused  
smile playing on his lips as he pushed back the bushy mane that had decided  
to cover her face from view. "Is that why you're on the floor?"

Hermione shook her head.  
"Never made it"

Draco frowned.  
"What do you mean?"

Hermione realised that she had one of two options;

1. _Tell Malfoy about what happened with herself and Ron._

2. _Say nothing and just mumble something incoherent._

"S'nuffinkthatmatters"

Second option it was, then.

Draco didn't take his eyes from her.  
He knew drunk people when he saw them, having been in that position himself.  
And he knew distressed people when he saw them, too.

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

Hermione nodded slowly.  
If Malfoy found out about what Ron had done then surely he would -

Hang on...what would he do?  
They weren't involved...the only thing they were involved in was bringing up  
their child...

But still.  
There was no need to make Malfoy hate Ron further.

_ 'Think about it in the morning...I'm sure it will make more sense  
then'_ Hermione thought to herself as she felt Malfoy taking her  
shoulders gently, hoisting her up from the floor and into a shaky standing  
position.

Hermione shuddered involuntarily when Malfoy's arm snaked around her waist.  
It didn't feel like it had with Ron...Malfoy's hold was possessive and  
scolding...like he was holding her there and would never let her go.

Draco slowly guided Hermione down the hallway, watching her stumble as they  
went.  
Hermione resisted the urge to throw up a few times along the way, and Draco  
had decided that it would be best to get a sick bucket to put it beside her  
bed for her to use through the night.

When they reached the bedroom, Draco turned off the main light, so Granger's  
eyes weren't blinded by the sudden contrast to the landing.  
She stumbled again, but Draco caught her and walked with her to the bed,  
where he plopped her down onto it and watched her fall back onto the soft  
mattress.

"Feel ill" She told him, putting her left arm over her face as she shimmied  
further up the bed using her feet.

Draco let out a low chuckle.  
"That's what generally happens when you've had too much to drink, Luv"

Hermione shook her head again.  
"Don't like it" She said, sounding like a spoiled five year old.

Draco sighed again.  
Only Granger could be stubborn when she was half-tanked.

"I'll go and get the sick bucket"

He turned to leave.

"No" She said suddenly.

Draco looked around at her, to find her suddenly sitting up and looking at  
him with a mixture of angst and fear on her face.

"What?"

"Don't go"

"But you need a buck-"

"Don't leave me"

Draco looked at her for a moment.  
Something had definitely spooked her.

Draco nodded, and then sat down on the small chair opposite the bed.  
"I'll wait until you've fallen asleep" He told her. "Then i'll go and get  
the bucket"

Hermione smiled drunkenly.  
She knew that she shouldn't be asking him to stay, she knew it would only  
cause more trouble.  
But she didn't want to be on her own, and she certainly didn't want Malfoy to  
be downstairs with Parvati.  
And then there was Ron.

Hermione shuddered.

"Cold?" Draco asked her, getting up from the chair and going over to the  
window which was just visible behind Airyn's crib.

Hermione nodded.  
But she wasn't cold.

Draco looked at the window curiously.  
It wasn't open.

He looked around at Granger.  
"Maybe you should get in the bed covers?"

Hermione nodded, attempting to roll off the bed to roll them down.  
But her alcohol-addled brain seemed to miscalculate the distance between  
herself and the amount of space she actually had on her bed, because she  
suddenly found herself rolling right over and landing on the floor.

Draco had to suppress a laugh, for fear of Granger throwing him a dirty look  
and the fact that he could possibly wake up Airyn.

He walked over to Granger and reached out his hand.  
Hermione looked at it for a minute, and then looked up at him.

Draco saw that something there in her eyes again.  
And he also began to notice just how sparkly her eyes seemed to be when she  
was drunk.

"Thank you" She told him as he helped her up once more.

Together they folded down the covers, and Hermione fell into bed once more,  
pulling them up to her chin.

"Better?" He asked her.

Hermione smiled.  
"A little"

Draco smirked.  
"Anything else?"

Hermione looked at him for a while, her half-shut eyes still looking deep in  
thought.

"Lie with me?" She asked him, before she had time to realise what she was  
saying.

Draco wasn't sure whether he had heard her right.  
Did she just say -

"What?" He asked her.

Hermione put her eyes elsewhere, unable to look at him.  
It wasn't quite rejection, but she knew she couldn't face saying it again.

What the hell did she say it for in the -

"Did you just ask me to lie with you?" He asked her curiously.

Hermione took a moment before holding her breath and nodding.  
For some reason, her body seemed to think that it would be a good idea to  
lie with him next to her...maybe it was for comfort...

Hermione didn't hear the answer.  
She felt it instead.

Her eyes flew open as far as they could when she felt the mattress press down  
next to her, and she turned slowly when she saw Malfoy's head connect with  
the pillow behind her.

"Only until you fall asleep" Draco told her quietly, mumbling into the  
pillow.

For some reason, that horrible feeling that was making her feel sick was  
gone.  
Evapourated.

Along with her sanity, it would seem.

Hermione lay there in the silence, her eyes fluttering closed every now and  
again, only to open them and check whether Malfoy was still there, and it  
wasn't just some embarrassing dream.  
But she could hear him breathing behind her, and she was sure that she could  
feel him looking at the back of her head.

Draco could hear the distant sounds of the party quieting down downstairs.  
He wasn't sure how everyone was getting home, but right now he didn't care.  
Here he was with Granger and his baby all in the one room, like a family  
should be.

Draco wanted to reach out and put his fingers through Granger's hair, but he  
decided against it.  
He had promised himself that he would stay here until Granger fell asleep,  
and then he would have to go back to his little cardboard box room, where he  
had been staying for the whole of the holidays.

After a while he could hear Granger's breathing deepen, and he knew she was  
asleep.  
He took the chance to get a better look at her.

He rose from his place and looked over at her.  
She was lying there looking so peaceful...clutching the necklace that  
'Draco' had bought her for Christmas.

He still felt guilty about that.  
Maybe he would have to have a word with Mr. Granger and tell him to put it  
right...

Draco put his head back onto the pillow's once more, and told himself that  
he would have five more minutes until he got up and went to his own bed...

...but those five minutes never came...

TBC...


	27. Chapter 27

** Chapter Twenty Seven**

_'We Live in a free world,  
I whistle down the wind.  
Carry on smiling,  
and the world will smile with you.  
Love is a flower,  
so precious in your hand.  
Carry on smiling,  
and the world will smile with you'_

Little men were chiseling away at her brain, she was sure of it.

Her mouth was dry and tasted like something had died in it, and to make it  
all the more worse, she could feel her eyes already hurting from the feint  
light that had entered the room through the curtains.

She tried to turn over to avoid her eyes hurting anymore, but found that she  
couldn't.  
Something was blocking her space.

Her half-asleep brain hadn't even concentrated as her arms shoved out to hit  
the offending object.

It groaned.

Her eyes flew open instantly and she sat bolt upright in her bed.  
It was only then that she could feel a pair of arms snaked around her  
midriff.

Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten, hoping to calm herself down.  
But it didn't help matters that she knew exactly whom those arms belonged  
to.

"Oh dear god..."

Hermione opened one eye and slowly peered down at the body in her bed.

Draco Malfoy.

Lying there with no top on.

This was not usual.

Not unappealing, but definitely not usual.

Hermione felt the need to poke him awake and ask him exactly why he was in  
her bed half naked...when she looked down at her own state of dress and  
cringed.

Only wearing her bra and knickers...for shame!

But then...why was she only wearing her-

She paled.  
There wasn't a chance...no, Malfoy wouldn't sink that low...would he?

Unluckily for her, Malfoy chose exactly that moment to open his eyes.

Funny how things like that seemed to happen, wasn't it?

"Mornin'" He said groggily, unwrapping an arm from about her waist and  
wiping his eyes with it.

Hermione couldn't looked at him.  
Instead, she lay back on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Draco glanced over at her.  
Didn't he even get a 'Good morning' after all that he had done for her last  
night?

Not only had he fallen asleep...but he had also been woken up by the sound  
of her barfing allover herself, and down the side of the bed.  
After cleaning that up, removing the dress that she had wore that night,  
making the room smell nice again AND getting the sick bucket from underneath  
the kitchen sink, Draco had then needed to get up to feed Airyn at six this  
morning.

He didn't see the point in going back to his own bed.  
But at the moment, that point probably would have made more sense.

"What-" Hermione began, closing her eyes and willing the welling sickness  
to go back down again "- what happened last night?"

Draco glanced at her.  
Was she that drunk?

"You got shit faced and I ended up putting you to bed"

Literally?

Hermione could remember the faintest things...the one thing that she couldn't  
put her finger on was exactly why she had decided to drink in the first  
place...  
Maybe it would come to her later.

Right now, her biggest problem was the fact that both she and Malfoy were  
half-naked in her bed. God help them if her Mum and Dad decided to enter the  
room.

"Where is my dress?" She asked him quietly, still not looking at him.

"Over there on the chair" Draco told her casually, sitting up next to her  
and leaning his head against the headboard.

He really should have left for his own bed last night, rather than be asked  
all sorts of questions this morning.  
But for some reason his body wouldn't let him leave.  
He kept telling himself that it was because Granger was ill, and therefore  
he needed to stay with her and make sure she was alright...but then there was  
that other part of him that liked the way Granger's hair smelled when he lay  
next to her, and the warmth of her body when it was inches away from his...

A few times he had woken up with her spooning against him, her bottom curved  
into his thighs and his arm over her waist, being held there by her hand  
possessively.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think of that image...no good came from  
thinking about that image...

"Why are you shirtless?" she asked him again.

Draco thought he could see a blush on her cheeks.  
He felt like telling the truth; that he had woken up in the night and she  
had decided to be sick allover his chest...but for some reason he thought  
better about embarrassing her.

"Because this is how I sleep" He told her casually.

Hermione wished he wouldn't.  
That chest should not be put on public view...it was far too dangerous.  
She knew it wasn't from Quidditch; Quidditch didn't do that sort of things  
to your muscles...Ron and Harry had been playing for years and they didn't  
have a chest like Malfoy's...

Maybe it was defined through careful breeding and daily workouts at a gym -

_ 'Hermione!'_ She scolded herself. _'Stop thinking about Malfoy's  
chest and concentrate on why your seeing Malfoy's chest!'_

And that's when it hit her.

Being drunk.  
Not remembering.  
Malfoy putting her to bed.  
Her body aching allover.  
Him being naked from the waist up.  
Her being naked...besides her underwear...

"Is there..." She began, sounding awkward. "...I mean, what did...erm...you  
know...did we-"

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.  
For someone who usually used logic to figure things out, she certainly  
wasn't using any for this situation.

"Did we what, Granger?"

Hermione blushed again.

Draco automatically realised the reason for her discomfort.  
She thought they had shagged each other.

Draco's first instinct was to laugh and tell her not to be such a stupid  
bint...  
but then he realised that doing that would only cause her to react far  
worse...

Draco's second instinct was to tell her the whole truth and nothing but the  
truth...  
but where was the fun in that?

So his third instinct kicked in, besides his better judgment.

"You know..."Hermione started.

Draco put on a hurt face.  
" But don't...don't you remember?"

Hermione looked at him for a few moments, the cogs turning in her brain to  
try and figure out exactly what she _should _ have remembered.

"I-I can't think" she told him, lying back on the bed again. She closed her  
eyes tight and hit her forehead with the palm of her hand repeatedly.

She didn't see Draco smiling like a lunatic.

"How could you forget?" He asked her, faking an angry tone in his voice.  
"You said I rocked your world"

"What?!" Hermione shouted, louder than necessary.

Both teenagers looked over at the crib to make sure that Hermione's mighty  
mouth had not woken Airyn...the longer she slept, the more time they had to  
discuss their little 'problem'.

" _ What?"_ She whispered, her eyes looking directly into his now,  
looking for the trace of a lie.

However, Draco happened to be very good at lying.

"In other words Granger; we went at it like rabbits for a good fraction of  
the night" He told her, lying back down in the bed and turning sideways  
whilst using his right hand to prop him up to get a better look at her face.

"We couldn't have..." Hermione said quietly, more to herself than Malfoy.  
she stared up at the ceiling hopelessly.

"Oh, but we did..." Draco answered her, his voice taking on a lower tone. He  
looked over her profile as she lay there, noticing that she looked too small  
to be in the double bed. "...over, and over, and over and over-"

"Stop it" She moaned, taking a pillow from underneath her head and putting  
it over her face.

Draco chuckled besides his better judgment.  
"You were doing that last night so you wouldn't scream your lungs out-"

"Malfoy" She said warningly, muffled by the pillow. "I don't want to  
know...I can't remember and I think I would like to keep it that way"

Draco felt slightly stung by her comment, even though the truth of the  
matter was the fact that they had both done absolutely nothing.

"So you don't want a reminder of what it felt like, then?" He asked her, all  
the while his free hand came to rest on her abdomen that was covered by her  
bedsheet.

She lay still for a moment.  
Draco knew full well that she was trying to work it all out.

"I wouldn't mind showing you exactly what happened..." He continued, drawing  
little circles on the fabric with his fingers. "...the way you pushed me  
back onto the bed...or the way you took off my clothes before I had a chance  
to-"

"I DID NOT!" Hermione shouted again, flinging the pillow at him and then  
looking at him accusingly. "I would never do something like that!"

Draco smirked.  
"Then it must be me who brings the animal out in yo-"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence.  
For some reason, Granger was taking great offense to his little joke and had  
seemingly had enough.

The next thing he knew, he was on his back in the middle of the bed and  
Granger was sat directly on top of him, one hand holding his chest down, and  
the other covering his mouth.

"I can't remember anything, and would like to keep it that way" She told him  
matter of factly, her face coming closer to his own. "If you choose to  
remember what happened then so be it, but- _Oh my god_!"

Was that...could she feel...did Malfoy have an erection?

"Early morning glory" He told her with a smile through the hand that covered  
his mouth.

Hermione continued to stare at him, almost as if she were in a trace. He  
could see the feint sign of a blush begin to creep up into her cheeks...

Draco took the opportunity to slide his hands up her waist and rest them  
just below her breasts.

"Stop it" She said, in a quieter voice than before. Hermione had closed her  
eyes and was suddenly gasping for air.

"Why?" He asked her curiously, making little patterns there with his  
fingers, much like he had done with the bedsheet.

Well, at least he was getting some kind of physical response to her now. He  
was starting to think that she was somehow immune to his touch.

Her eyes suddenly shot open, and she hurled herself off of Draco and out of  
the bedroom door.  
For some reason, Draco felt the urge to follow her.

Her tracks stopped outside a closed bathroom door.  
And the sounds inside were making him feel nauseous.  
This had got to be one of the worst hangovers that Draco had ever bore  
witness to.

He tapped on the door lightly.

"If it's any consolation" He told her, leaning against it. He thought the  
time called to be truthful.  
"I didn't shag you"

_ 'But you have no idea how much I want to'_

- - -

She still wasn't talking to him.  
He had tried numerous times to apologise to her, but she wasn't having any  
of it.

After she had re-appeared from the bathroom, she had taken the time to tell  
him what a spineless little in-bred he was, and how much of a shit-bag he had  
turned into, and then decided to chorus the fact that he was so gutless that  
she felt the need to stamp on his head to get his brain working...

Such a sweet girl.

And yet, he couldn't help but admire it all.  
No one ever spoke to him like that, so he knew that the first person to do  
so would have his admiration for the rest of his life.  
Trust it to be Granger.

After stating her opinion and waking up the whole house with her rather  
large gob, Granger stomped into her bedroom and slammed the door behind  
her...allowing Draco to hear a scream erupt from the bedroom. Obviously  
Airyn had now been woken up.

He gave up and decided to go downstairs, which was where he was at this  
present moment eating a bowl of mushy cornflakes.

Mr. Granger had wondered downstairs about ten minutes after Draco, and bid  
him a good morning.

"Is it?" Draco asked sarcastically, stuffing another spoonful into his  
mouth.

Paul gave him a smirk.  
"Well, maybe not for you"

Draco half-wondered if Paul knew what had gone on.  
But then again, it wasn't like he had overheard a conversation or anything,  
he probably just heard Granger yelling and shouting all the names under the  
sun at him.

He couldn't help himself.  
The look in her eyes...the very fact that she was even ASKING him if they  
had slept together...  
How could he resist in telling a little white lie?

Okay, so more than a little one...more like a few big ones, but none the  
less...  
It was fun whilst it lasted.

"How did last night go, Draco?" Paul asked from the toaster and kettle in  
the corner.

Draco sat and thought for a moment.  
How _did _ last night go?

"It was alright" He answered finally. "Not too sure how everyone got home-"

"Myself and Janet ordered taxi's for everyone" He told the boy casually. "It  
seemed that they had decided to have a little too much to drink"

Draco smirked. If only he knew the state of his own daughter.  
"Yeah, just a little"

"The little Weasley girl informed me that you had gone up to check on our  
Hermione, and hadn't come back downstairs again" Paul added, still keeping  
his tone casual and keeping himself facing the kettle, which now had steam  
protruding from its spout.

"Yeah" Draco said quietly, deciding to shove another spoonful of cereal into  
his mouth.  
He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Was there any reason for why you didn't come back down, Draco?"

Draco gulped.  
He had to think fast.

"I fell asleep"

Yeah, thats a bloody good excuse Draco.

"You fell asleep?"

"Yes"

"Where?"

"In bed?"

"Whose?"

"What?"

Paul turned around to see him then.  
Paul thought as much; Draco looked oddly flustered, and his cheeks were  
showing the barest hint of blush.

Mr.Granger was fearing the worst.  
Don't get him wrong; it wasn't like he could preach to Draco because he was  
doing the same when he was the boy's age...but this was his daughter they  
were talking about.

"I believe that you are probably aware of contraception?"

Draco choked on his cornflakes.  
"Excuse me, sir?"

"Contraception, Draco" Paul answered. "Even you Wizarding folk must have  
some kind of form of it?"

Draco nodded numbly, feeling the blush increase in his cheeks.  
"There's a spell you can use for it"

Paul nodded.  
"Then let's hope that you are taking care"

Draco said nothing, he was still too dumbfounded by the fact that he was  
even having this conversation with Granger's Dad, let alone a Muggle.

He was about to let the man know that there was no reason for him to be  
using contraception, when Granger came floating down the stairs with Airyn  
in her arms...in a better mood than she had been previously.

- - -

_ Hermione attempted to gather her wits as she sat on the edge of her bed.  
She knew she was still nursing a hangover, of that much she was sure. But  
the rest of it? Well, she was positive that there were still a few pieces of  
information still missing from her antics of last night..._

_How could she be so stupid?  
What right did she have to get angry and jealous over a few silly little  
glances from Malfoy and Parvati from across a room?  
No right, at all.  
But the pangs of jealousy had hit her deeply, and for some reason she had  
decided to punish her body for feeling that way...and that was why she had  
drank the alcohol unnecessarily.  
After that it was pretty much a blur.  
Every now and again, something would swim into her memory and haunt  
her...but she still felt that there was something missing.  
She could just about remember Ron helping her up the stairs, and she could  
definitely remember Malfoy helping her into her room...but the parts where  
the two boys changed places with one another still confused her a little.  
And then there was this morning...  
Dear God, she felt like she was going to die from embarrassment._

_How could he play a trick on her like that?  
And worst of all...how come she didn't find it as repulsive as she should  
have?_

_Then again; the answer to that question stuck out like a sore thumb._

_She didn't think she could deny herself the answer for much longer.  
Her body was fully aware that she liked him...her mind was just a little bit  
slower to catch up._

_** 'Either that, or I am in a hell of a lot of denial...'** _

_But it was a lost cause, wasn't it?  
From his reaction last night, Hermione thought she could see the sadistic  
pleasure on his face when Parvati AND Pansy had brought up the fact that  
they had both been with him. Maybe he just liked the attention? Maybe he  
liked the way girls fawned over him all the time? Maybe he loved the fact  
that girls were more likely to remember his name in the morning, than he was  
to remember there's?_

_This was doing her no good at all.  
Especially when the thought of actually sleeping with him had made her feel  
an odd sense of elation, rather than the expectant feeling of terror and  
guilt...  
And then when he had told her that they had not shagged each other (through  
the bathroom door, of all things!), Hermione hadn't expected to feel  
so...angry?  
Angry with him for playing with her feelings and thoughts, and angry with  
herself for allowing him to manipulate her in that way...whether she wanted  
to believe it, or not._

_Hermione walked over to Airyn's crib, where she looked down to see her  
daughter wide awake and looking around with her big baby blues, staring at  
her Winnie the Pooh teddy and bouncing her tiny legs in the air.  
Hermione smiled at her warmly and cooed at her, telling her what a beautiful  
girl she was.  
Airyn obviously didn't understand, and shoved her fist into her mouth as her  
eyes fixated on the necklace around Hermione's neck._

_"Morning, Sunshine" Hermione said happily, picking the baby out of the crib  
and placing her into her arms. "Do you want some breakfast?"  
So what was she to do?  
Smile and put on a happy face? Face the fact that Malfoy meant it as a joke  
and forget about it, like he probably had already?_

_What was it she had said about living in denial?_

_** 'Well...it's better than being where I am, right now...'** _

_And with that thought in mind, she made her way out of her bedroom, and down  
the landing towards the stairs._

- - -

"Morning" She said out loud, taking a seat opposite Draco. "Dad, can you pass  
me Airyn's bottle, please? She's due her feed"

Paul said nothing, but passed his daughter the bottle that had been warming  
up in the lukewarm water of the pan on the stove.

Draco smirked at her from his cereal bowl, and Hermione stuck her tongue out  
at him playfully, showing him that she could take a joke as much as the next  
man could.

"What happened to breast feeding?" Draco asked curiously, deciding to take  
their banter in a different direction.

He noticed Paul giving him a strange look from his place by the kettle, as  
he now poured himself a cup of boiling water.

Hermione shrugged.  
"For some reason it feels strange." She told him. "It's like my body is  
telling me that Airyn is getting too old for breast milk..."

Draco frowned.  
"But babies can breast feed for as long as they like"

Hermione nodded.  
"I know, but I don't know what it is..."

Draco thought for a moment until the answer came to him.  
"It won't be long until our two months of sleepless nights are over" He  
answered. "Is it February when Airyn changes?"

Hermione realised what he was talking about.  
"Oh, of course! She's going to change" She said happily. "I'd forgotten all  
about that!"

Draco smiled to himself when he saw Airyn taking the teet of the bottle into  
her mouth.  
He hadn't really noticed before, but her hair was slowly turning into a  
light brown colour on top, with the slightest of curls sprinkled every now  
and again across her tiny head.

Draco was about to ask if it was just him, or if Airyn actually felt  
heavier- when the group were disturbed by a knock at the window.

"It's one of those bloody birds again" Paul said, standing in front of his  
buttered toast protectively, remembering what had happened to his breakfast  
the last time one of those bloody owls had got to it.

Hermione recognised the bird at once.

Pigwidgeon.

Something crashed into her.  
She hadn't remembered before, but now that she was reminded, the full scale  
of last nights events suddenly collapsed on top of her, and she was suddenly  
finding it hard to breath.

Ron had almost forced himself on her.

The memory was still coming back to her, and she closed her eyes, trying to  
will the images within her brain to subside.  
She could remember being pressed to the floor, his lips smothering hers  
while his tongue tried to seek entrance...his hands seemed to be everywhere  
- sliding up her sides, hovering over her breasts - and his legs were  
entwining with her own -

"It's for you, Hermione" Paul told her casually, attempting to pull the  
small scroll from the tiny owl's leg and putting it onto the table for her.

Hermione didn't want to read it.  
Not right now, anyway. She needed to give herself sometime to calm down  
before she decided to open the letter and read.

"I'll have a look later" She said quietly, still looking at the scrolled up  
parchment.

She could feel Malfoy looking at her curiously from across the table,  
obviously seeing the odd expression that she was currently harbouring on her  
face.  
Yet, she still neither looked at him, or gave him any piece of evidence of a  
clue to say what the parchment might be.

"Will you finish off feeding Airyn?" She asked him instead, looking up at  
him smiling slightly. She got up from her seat and made her way around the  
table towards him. "I have to go and get dressed".

Draco tried to make eye contact with her, wanting her to tell him with her  
eyes that she was okay.  
But she didn't look at him once, she just planted Airyn into his arms and  
walked out of the room.

After she had gone, and Airyn was safely in her Daddy's arms, Paul sat  
opposite him instead.

"You'll learn that women are funny creatures" He said with a knowing sigh,  
taking a sip of his tea.

Draco nodded slightly, his eyes firmly fixed upon the letter that was still  
lying there on the table, begging to be opened.

"You're not wrong there"

He really wasn't.

- - -

_ Mione,_

_I know that you will probably remember last night by the time you read this.  
My mind hasn't been able to keep itself from thinking about it since it all  
happened._

_I overstepped the mark, and all that I can do is apologise.  
I thought this was what you wanted, because for so long I have felt the same  
way.  
But I was obviously wrong, and now I am regretting everything about what  
happened,  
because I know that I have hurt you, and you will probably never forgive me._

_I didn't mean to force myself onto you like that, I guess I just didn't  
realise that you  
weren't in the same place as me...physically, I mean._

_I haven't told anyone because I don't have the guts,  
but I wouldn't really blame you if you decided to tell everyone what I tried  
to do.  
Please know that I didn't do it intentionally, and I thought that it was  
what we both wanted._

_Hopefully we can get past this and still be friends,  
but I just need you to be able to forgive me for everything.  
I really hope you can, we've been friends for so long, and I don't think I  
could stand not being  
around or seeing you everyday._

_See you in school._

_More sorry than you will ever know,_

_Ron  
x _

Draco crumpled the paper in his hands.  
He didn't say a word as he walked up the stairs and placed Airyn in her  
crib, saying goodbye.  
He didn't make a sound as he walked back down the stairs, hearing Granger in  
the bathroom with the shower running.  
He didn't even draw a breath as he opened the front door and stepped out of  
it, closing it once again behind him.

But he did let out a low growl when he heard the words _Ron Weasley_  
penetrating his skull.

- - -

The first thing Hermione noticed was the small whimpering noises coming from  
her bedroom as she entered.  
Not big crying whimpers, but small noises coming from her daughter.

There she was, lying in her crib kicking her legs and waving her arms  
in front of her face.

Hermione frowned.  
If Airyn was in here, then where was Malfoy?

She quickly got changed and then took herself and Airyn back downstairs.  
Her Mother was in the living room watching 'Boxing Day' television, whereas  
her Father was seated in his study, reading a rather dusty tomb.

Janet looked around at her daughter.  
"Your Dad told me you were incapacitated with alcohol last night"

Hermione looked bashful.

"And he also told me that Draco stayed in your bed"

How the hell did he find that out?

Janet gave her daughter a knowing look.  
"I know you are of legal age now, Hermione" She began, giving a lecture.  
"But I don't expect that sort of thing to go on under my-"

"I'm not having sex" Hermione said quietly.

If she was, she would probably be a lot happier.

Janet frowned.  
"Then what-"

"I got drunk and Draco took me to bed" She told her mother honestly,  
hoisting Airyn onto her shoulder. "He stayed with me so I didn't choke on my  
own vomit"

Janet wrinkled her nose.  
"Lovely image"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Have you seen Draco?" She asked, needing to change the subject.

Janet shook her head and looked back at the TV.  
"Your Dad said he popped out before. Didn't say where he was going..."

Hermione found this very strange.  
Malfoy, touring around Muggle London? It was practically unheard of.

The Gryffindor quietly left the living room and made her way into the  
kitchen, daring herself to try and force some food into her empty stomach.

Hermione looked over at the kitchen table.

_ That_ was the first thing she had noticed as soon as she had walked  
in, sitting there all crumpled...  
And then was the fact that _ It_ had been opened...

Hermione bit her lip and closed her eyes.  
Both fury and panic gripped her at the same time...

He had read the letter.

- - -

He had spent most of the day going from shop to shop, looking at the odd  
thing in the window and criticising it to his full intent.  
After that, he had wondered into a little backstreet Muggle pub and  
befriended the barman, who gave him free drinks for the remainder of the  
day.

Anything to take his mind from that stupid fucking red-headed monster who  
actually seems to think that he is more of a human being than Draco was...  
But Draco had never attempted to force himself onto a girl...  
Ever.  
End of.

His knuckles went white as his squeezed the pint glass in his grasp.

"Fucking prick" He said quietly. "Arrogant twat...dirty, filthy little  
bloodstained tyrant..."

"I'm not that bad" The barman told him, joking.

Draco smirked at him, his vision only slightly blurred. But his aim for the  
day was to get absolutely shit faced, and then worry about the consequences  
later.

"Not you" Draco answered, knocking back the rest of his pint of lager as the  
barman poured him another from the tap.

The barman nodded knowingly. "You mean that Weasley fellow you keep talking  
about?"

Draco nodded, pointing at the man as though he had got the answer right to a  
quiz question.  
"Right you are, mate"

"Well" The barman began, pushing his long hair from his face with one  
tattooed arm. "If you ask me I think he deserves a beating; no man should  
step onto another man's territory"

Draco nodded.  
And then looked at him.  
"She's...she's _notmyterritory_ "

The barman laughed.  
"Well, thats what you say now...but you've got a baby with this girl, so  
theres obviously something there that you never realised before..."

"Aye" Draco agreed, taking his next pint from the barman's hand. "Never  
realised it...not until they insemdinateded her..."

"You mean, Inseminate?"

"That's what I said; insemdinateded"

The barman shook his head.  
This guy had been sitting here for the best part of four hours. At first he  
didn't speak, he just kept a watchful eye on his surroundings and accepted  
the offer of a few drinks from the bar. But as time went by, the boy seemed  
to relax a little, and soon he began to make conversation with the barman,  
telling him all sorts of mindless crap.

The drink flowed and the boy opened up almost literally, talking animatedly  
about some lad who had tried it on with his girlfriend, and the boy was  
going to kill him.  
Not that the barman blamed him, as it sounded like this girl meant a lot to  
him, although he tried not to show it too much.

And now here he was;  
Spilling his heart out to anyone who would listen, especially about the  
bastard who had tried to take advantage of his girlfriend who wasn't really his girlfriend but sounded close enough to him to be his girlfriend.

"I'll have dis one and den go..." Draco announced, downing the pint in one.

The barman winced, knowing that the boy would wakeup with rather a nasty  
hangover in the morning.

- - -

Hermione looked out of the window impatiently.  
Nothing.

It was now six in the evening...Malfoy had been gone for almost seven  
hours...  
She knew she shouldn't worry, but she felt that the situation called for it,  
seems as though he didn't know where the hell he was, or how to be able to  
get back.

Paul and Janet had told her not to worry; he was a big boy and he could take  
care of himself.  
Paul had told her that this is what he used to do; get out of the house and  
clear his head if things were getting on top of him.

Hermione wasn't too sure how to take that.  
Malfoy had nothing getting on top of him...only that stupid letter...that he  
had no right to read anyway, because the letter had belonged to HER.

She wanted to feel angry and really have a blazing row with him when he did  
eventually come through the door.  
But for now, all she could do was secretly worry for him to come back.

- - -

He had only walked out because he needed to take his anger out on something.  
Its funny how it worked out; the only thing he seemed to take his anger out  
on was himself.

But the letter did explain a few things;  
Why Granger was on the floor crying.  
Why Granger was not in her bedroom.  
Why that fucking bum-nut was nowhere to be seen upstairs when he had gone  
up.

He knew very well that he had no right in reading that letter, but Draco  
Malfoy was Draco Malfoy...you could take the boy out of his arrogance...but  
you can't take the arrogance out of the boy.

So what?  
He was glad that he had read it. At least he knew now what Weasley was really  
like.  
But then why did Granger like him so much?

_ 'She can't like him now if he's done that to her...'_ He thought to  
himself, stumbling down the street and turning the corner into another  
tavern. _ 'The bastard should never be forgiven for trying something like  
that...' _

Where the hell had his morals come from?  
He'd noticed that more and more over the past few weeks, it was almost like  
he was growing a conscious...

That would be the Granger side of him showing...

Dammit.

Draco pushed the tavern door open, squinting as the bright lights hit his  
eyes.  
He readjusted to his surroundings and kept walking towards the bar.

Irish music?

"Look, it's Malfoy!"

Draco looked around; his vision still slightly blurred.  
Then he felt a hand on his arm, and he was being dragged by a strangers grip  
all the way to the far end of the pub.

"He was there at Hermione's last night, Ma'am"

That voice was familiar.

"Get 'im a drink if 'es you friend, Seamus!"

"Aye, Ma'am!"

Draco was pulled into a seat by another hand.  
His vision seemed to swim for a moment, until he could see a pair of dark  
brown eyes looking at him.

"Hello, Draco"

- - -

Hermione shut her curtains and got into bed.  
Airyn had been in bed for about three hours already, and was probably due  
for her feed within another three.  
It was now almost eleven o'clock at night. When Malfoy got back she was  
going to skin him alive...possibly literally!

How rude to go wandering off all day, without telling anyone what you're  
doing.

Hermione was beginning to doubt those times when he had hinted at having the  
slightest feeling for her.  
She was beginning to think that Malfoy never meant what he said.

And to think; for a moment today, she had thought that she had lost her  
virginity to him...

And for a moment; she let herself feel proud of that fact.

- - -

Parvatil Patil was a very beautiful girl.  
She had long, dark flowing hair and a beauty spot just to the side of her  
right nostril. She smelled of exotic flowers, and her out of school clothes  
were so colourful that he felt like a bee being attracted to honey.

Her eyes could tell you stories that her lips could not...but her lips could  
give you a hell of a lot more that her eye's couldn't.  
She spoke with her hands, and her face lit up animatedly when she spoke  
about things that she liked.

Draco could understand why he was so taken with her when they had been fuck  
buddies.  
But obviously, the good came with the bad.  
She was overly possessive, and wouldn't think twice about confronting another  
woman for even brushing past him in the corridors.  
When she didn't get her way, she would whine.  
And when she did get her way, she would whine some more just to prove her  
point.

But on the whole; she was a very fine specimen of a female.  
And her sister was, too.

"Where's Jenny and Boon?" Draco asked, shooting his second tequila shot down  
his neck.  
He sat there in the little booth in the corner, just himself, the Patil  
girls and Seamus.

Parvati rolled her eyes.  
"Oh, they're with Ron"

Draco sneered.  
Both at the name, and the way she just brushed off her kids, as if she  
didn't care.  
He hated that.

Draco decided not to cause an argument, and to look around him instead.  
"Why is it all Irish?"

"It's an Irish pub" Seamus answered, drinking Guinness.

"But we're not in Ireland"

Seamus couldn't help but laugh.

Draco looked at the Patil twins. "So what are you doing in here?"

Padma shrugged.  
"Our family are good friends with the Finnigans" Parvati answered, swirling  
her straw around in her cocktail slowly, stroking the tip of the straw.  
"They invited us and we said we would come"

"Why are you 'ere?" Seamus asked him curiously.

Draco shrugged, not really wanting to get into it.  
"Needed the air"

"But this is a Muggle pub" Padma told him, observing him curiously. "We come here once every year to meet up with our non-magical sides of the family"

Seamus nodded. "Well, I don't come here for that" He said happily. "Me Ma and Pa just like to come and get drunk with the Muggles every now and again"

"Amusuing" Draco answered, but he couldn't help the small smile on his lips, despite his brain telling him not to.

Seamus observed the blond Slytherin in front of him.  
This time six months ago, he wouldn't have even given the bastard the time  
of day...but for some reason he seemed worth knowing lately...something  
about his aura had changed, and it had made him more approachable.  
So when he saw Draco enter the tavern, he had to drag him over to the table  
out of principle...that, and the fact that he was stumbling around, which  
looked a little dangerous to be doing when you were on your own.

"Where's Hermione?" Parvati asked him curiously, crossing one leg over the  
other and baring part of her right thigh to him generously. "At home playing  
'house?'?"

Draco nodded.  
"Doing her own thing, probably" He took another tequila shot, the liquid  
burning his throat slightly. "Airyn doesn't really do much...sleeps and  
shits, mainly"

"Amen to that" Seamus said with a laugh.

"Love her, though" Draco added.

He glanced sideways at Parvati, and then noticed that there was something  
traveling the length of his thigh.  
A hand? How strange...

"How are things with you and Hermione, then?" Parvati asked him curiously,  
her hand gently squeezing his leg.

Draco shrugged.  
What could he say when he didn't know himself?  
He was mad at her...for some reason that he seemed to have forgotten in the  
middle of his drunken haze...  
It wasn't the fact that she hadn't told him about Weasley...and it wasn't  
the fact that she didn't seem repulsed by what had apparently happened last  
night...

It was the fact that Weasley had touched her.  
Ah, yes...there was that anger that he knew he still had left inside of him.

He held up his tequila shot glass and took another, drowning out the false  
memory of Weasley's lips allover Granger's skin...kissing her...caressing  
her...

The hand on his thigh was steadily rising higher...  
And he didn't care.  
If Granger didn't care, then neither did he.  
Fuck it.  
Fuck Weasley.  
Fuck Granger.  
And later...he would probably end up fucking Parvati.

Draco noticed Finnigan leaving the table quietly, obviously seeing something  
going on between Draco and the Patil twin. He was saying something about  
finding his Mum when he disappeared from view.

Draco looked at Parvati with fire in his eyes.  
Why not? Why not fuck her brains out?  
He was drunk and it wasn't like there was anyone holding him back...Granger  
was stuck in the _'Let's be friends'_ stage.  
Confusing bitch.

Padma kicked Parvati from under the table, realising exactly what her sister  
was up to.  
But she soon took off in a huff after her twin shot her an evil look.

Then her attention was solely on him.

She leaned over and whispered lightly in his ear.  
"I knew I would have you all to myself again, one day" She told him, her  
hand still stroking his thigh. "All those nights that I have thought about  
having you; all the times I've had to remember how powerful you are, and how  
your hands felt when they were touching me...it gets me off every time..."

Draco closed his eyes, remembering all too well.  
They were good together; he knew that.  
But so were him and Pansy. Never lasted long enough, though. He always ended  
up disinterested.

"...the things you used to do to make me come...the way you would touch me  
in places that I didn't even know existed...you were an animal..."

Her hand had slipped further up, and was now stroking his groin.

"...If I could have you again, I would show you exactly what you've been  
missing..."

He felt her lips against his neck.  
He knew all too well that they could be seen if anyone were to look over at  
them...but he knew all too well that Parvati thrived on the thought of  
getting caught.  
It was her little game.

"...Do you want me like I want you?" She asked him in a husky whisper.

Draco looked at her for a moment.

The answer was in the kiss.

- - -

THANKYOU for all of the reviews!  
I appreciate them all immecely!  
And for anyone who wants a little bit more wink wink of draco and hermione...hang around for the next chapter!!!!

thanks again!!

xxx


	28. Chapter 28

** Chapter Twenty Eight**

_ 'If every man says all he can,  
if every man is true._

_Do I believe the sky above,  
is Caribbean blue?'_

Hermione folded her arms and put her book down on the bed.  
The anger and panic had subsided, and the worry was now beginning to set in.

Twice her Mother and Father had told her to ring the Police and give a  
missing person's identity...but it was more than likely that Malfoy would  
never be found if anyone wanted to seek him out.

Well, it was his own god damn fault for reading a privately addressed  
letter.  
One that she hadn't even read herself, yet.

She didn't know exactly what Malfoy had read in there, but as the day wore  
on she had realised that whatever it was; it was no good.

But what the hell did he care?  
Sure, she respected the fact that he didn't really like Ron. Sure, she  
respected the fact that maybe he did have morals, and that he knew the  
difference between right and wrong (Malfoy 'always' being right, and  
everyone else being 'wrong'). But to be away for this length of time and not  
give a flying fuck for anyone but himself?

Well, that was the typical Malfoy that Hermione knew well.  
It was the Malfoy that she could find so easy to hate.

Somewhere deep inside of her, she felt the need to apologise as soon as he  
walked through the door.  
But what the hell did she need to do that for? It wasn't her fault things  
had gotten out of hand with Ron last night...

Ron.  
What was she going to do with Ron? They had been great friends for so many  
years, and she had held a torch for him for many years, now...it was just  
sods law that Ron had decided to show his true feelings for her when she  
DIDN'T feel the same.

But she saw that look in his eyes.  
That look that gave her a thousand apologies when she looked into them,  
because he instantly knew that he had stepped over the line.  
And yet, she still didn't think she could look at him when she saw him next.  
At the moment, every time she seemed to close her eyes she could see him  
looking at her, and in the shower this morning she had scrubbed at her skin,  
as though trying to wash away the invisible dirt that she felt covered by.

Was that normal?  
To feel so much disgust for someone that you had loved for so many years?  
If the horrible churning in her gut was anything to go by, then the answer  
was clear;

Ron Weasley had actually managed to repulse her.  
Which saddened her more than anything she could have ever imagined.

There was a bang downstairs.

The front door slamming shut.

Hermione's heartbeat began to quicken, and she could hear the thundering  
pulse within her ears. Little hairs stood up on the back of her neck, and  
her breath began to quicken...

He was back.

- - -

_Not long after canoodling with Parvati in the corner, Draco had decided that  
he had had enough of people throwing them disgusted looks...so he took her  
by the hand and lead her outside._

_The air was cool against their faces as they stumbled out of the Tavern and  
instantly took a detour to the side of it.  
Parvati decided to take measures into her own hands, and pulled him by his  
collar until she had backed herself up against the side of the Tavern wall,  
and Draco was looming over her hungrily._

_Draco felt a little uncomfortable for a second.  
But only a for a second. After that, he bent his head down and ravished her  
neck; trying to ignore the little niggling feeling he was getting in his  
gut, telling him that something was a-miss._

_Parvati dug her nails into Draco's black parker coat, and brought her left  
leg up to his hip, already wanting to draw him closer. Her pants were coming  
rapidly.  
Draco smirked against her neck. There was nothing like knowing you were a  
sex god...the benefits were endless._

_** 'Granger would never pant in your ear...'** A voice suddenly told him,  
interrupting his train of thought as Parvati's breath was suddenly tickling  
his lughole._

_Draco closed his eyes, trying to mentally block out that nagging voice. In  
the process, his hand had managed to travel to Parvati's breast, and gave it  
an experimental squeeze._

_"Oooh! Draco!" She moaned into his ear._

_** 'A little over the top, don't you think?'** Asked the voice, cutting  
through his mental blockage. **'Granger would never do something like  
that...she's not cheesy enough...'** _

_Draco tried in vein to ignore the whispering voice, as Parvati's hand  
traveled down to his crotch. She rubbed his erection slowly, whilst her  
lips kissed him allover his face._

_He put his forehead against the cold wall, trying with all his might to  
concentrate on what she was doing to him.  
...Hands slowly rubbing him...warm lips kissing him softly...a body with  
full curves just waiting to be touched... _

_"Draco" She said, her voice whispering in his ear. "Look at me"_

_He slowly took his forehead from its resting place, and opened his eyes.  
They widened._

_So this is what he had to do to bring himself off, was it?  
Imagine Granger standing there, instead of Patil?_

_Well...if you can't beat them..._

_Draco looked into those brown doughy eyes momentarily, before swooping down  
and taking her lips into a hungry, passion filled kiss.  
Everything about her was exactly as he had remembered;_

_The taste of those lips.  
The hair entwining itself around his fingertips.  
The curves of her body a perfect match for his own._

_That leg that was still wrapped around his waist was suddenly pulling him in  
closer.  
He bucked.  
She moaned.  
He bucked again, coming into contact with her groin and hitting her sweet  
spot enthusiastically._

_She broke the kiss and threw her head back against the wall. He instantly  
allowed his lips to feast on her neck, suddenly unable to get enough of her._

_Everything that had happened today was gone in an instant.  
Who needed arguments when you could just fuck and forget about it?  
Who cared?  
Right now, this was all that mattered._

_"I want you so much" She moaned, her hands messing up his already roughened  
hair._

_Draco could only nod.  
Just being in her presence was enough to make him want to ram into her with  
so much force that it would probably kill her._

_"You're mine" He told her possessively, pulling his head back again to look  
into her eyes. He could feel her fingers delving for the zipper on his  
jeans. "All mine"_

_She giggled._

_Draco felt the air hit his genitals suddenly, but then felt the rush of  
pleasure fill his senses as Granger boldly took his member into the palm of  
her hands.  
He gasped when he felt her experimentally stroke his cock, loving the way  
her face held that smirk...an expression he had never seen her wear before._

_Her hand began to move a little faster, feeling for the pace.  
All Draco could do was grunt.  
That, and get the feeling that something was wrong...after all, wasn't  
Granger supposed to be an untouched virgin?_

_She cupped his balls with her other hand, and Draco's thought's flew out of  
the window.  
His breath was shaky and his pants were coming in gasps...for someone so  
innocent, she knew what she was doing._

_"Keep going" He told her in a whisper, feeling the end upon him before they  
had even properly began. He hadn't realised the true nature of the force  
that she really had over him...he was practically at her mercy.  
He kissed her shoulder blade, nipping at it a few times as he felt his  
ball-sack tighten._

_"Jesus, Granger..."_

_And before he knew it, the hand was gone and he found himself being pushed  
backwards onto the hard ground._

_"Granger?!" She shrieked, sounding beyond furious. "I'm giving you a handjob  
and you're thinking about GRANGER?!"_

_She laughed then.  
"I knew it was too good to be true" She told him. "You're beyond insane, do  
you know that Malfoy?"_

_He looked up at her, his alcohol-lust-addled brain only just registering the  
situation._

_She was not Granger._

_** 'Bullocks'** _

_"You've got it bad" She told him maliciously. "I wonder what people at  
school would say?" She asked him, scraping her hair back into a neat pony  
tale, looking down at him like he was shit on her shoe. "Wonder what they  
would think when they find out that Draco- **I'm fucking Pureblood so fuck  
off** -Malfoy had actually fallen for a ... what do you call her? ... a  
** Mudblood** ?"_

_Draco scowled.  
"I haven't fallen for her" He told her._

_She didn't even look at him.  
She shook her head and laughed as she walked away, leaving him there in the  
middle of the sidestreet._

_"That happened along time ago"_

_- - -_

He opened her door a crack, to see the room in complete darkness.  
God only knew how he had managed to drag himself up from the dirty Muggle  
alleyway that Parvati had left him down...but his sense of direction seemed  
to be spot on, because now he was looking straight at Granger's darkened  
bed.

He went to turn around and walk back into his own room when the bedside  
light suddenly switched on.

He closed his eyes and cursed silently.

"So you decided to show your face, did you?" Her voice came traveling over,  
sounding cold and distant...with a slight twinge of hurt, if he wasn't  
mistaken.

He kept his back to her.  
"I needed some air" It wasn't really a lie. He did need the air, but for the  
reason that he thought he would probably go ape shit and kill something if  
he didn't leave the house.

"What?" She asked him, her voice now taking on a sarcastic tone. "almost  
thirteen hours of it?"

Draco decided to ignore that comment.  
"I'm going to bed" He made to walk out of the doorway.

"Find anything interesting inside my letter?"

He stopped dead.  
Trust Granger to be as blunt as a Medi-witches operating knife.

"No" He told her defiantly, and walked back out of the door and into his own  
room, leaving her sitting on the bed somewhere behind him.

He had barely shut his own door and flung his coat onto a vacated computer  
seat when she came hurtling in; red faced with her 'bed' hair springing from  
her head, giving her an eccentric look.

"Don't walk away from this" She accused him, shutting the door behind her  
and glaring at him. "You had no right to read my letter! It was private, and  
if I wanted you to know what it was about, then-"

"Then what?" He asked her curiously, his eyes looking directly into hers.  
"You would have sat me down over a plate of scones and told me?"

Hermione glared at him. Then she looked at him inquisitively for a few  
moments.  
"Are you drunk?"

"I was" He said blankly.  
The conversation they were about to have had actually made him want to sober  
up to the point where he wasn't even sure he had touched any alcohol.  
"But that's not the point" He told her coolly. "You would never have told me  
about that letter, because for some reason you see the need to protect that  
stupid little twat-"

"He's my friend, Malfoy!" She told him, her voice going higher with every  
word. "He did apologise, and-"

"-And because you're in love with the stupid bastard, you don't see the need  
in sounding the alarm, right?" He asked her snidely, shaking his head and  
sitting down on his tiny little bed.

Hermione felt scolded.  
"In love with him? What gave you that idea?" She asked him, seeing him put  
his head in his hands.

"Oh, come off it" He said with a sarcastic laugh. "You two have been dying  
to shag each other since fourth year!"

"What, you mean while you were off shagging Pansy and Parvati?" She said  
spitefully, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Forgive me if I'm wrong  
** Draco** , but at the end of the day, I'm not the one with the wondering  
eyes"

Draco felt a pang of guilt at those words.  
After what had happened tonight, if Granger ever found out then she would  
probably never talk to him again...

"And you still have them now" She said accusingly.

Draco looked up at her curiously, wondering exactly what or whom she could  
be talking about.  
He frowned.

She glared.  
"I know about the letters you've been getting from Parvati" She announced,  
the words slipping from her tongue like acid. "I'm not stupid, I know  
what's-"

"Parvati?" He asked her.  
Since when had he gotten any letters from-...oh...  
"No, that was Pansy-"

Hermione laughed mercilessly.  
"Oh, so you have them both wrapped around your little finger, do you?"

Shit.  
Talk about a way to make a situation worse. But he would be damned if he  
told Granger about Pansy. He was loyal enough to keep a secret when he knew  
it was best kept that way.

He studied her silently for a moment, wondering what her next plan of attack  
would be.  
None came. She seemed to be waiting for him to make the next move.

So he did.  
"So you've been reading my letters, too?"

She faltered for a moment, looking for something to day.  
"Well I guess that means we're both really fucked up in the head"

"Pansy is a mate-"

"Ha!" Hermione laughed fakely. "What, between shagging her and then dumping  
her the day after?"

Draco glared at her, his eyes set in stone.  
Fuck it.  
If things needed to be said, then they might as well be put out into the open  
while they were both angry enough to do it.

"It's none of your business who I talk to-"

"And it's-" Hermione tried to butt in, but he stepped over her.

"-At the end of the day, you came to me and told me you wanted friendship  
and nothing more-"

She opened her mouth to speak yet again, but he stopped her.

"-So why are you being so defensive? Why are you being so jealous about a  
letter I've gotten from a friend?"

Hermione closed her mouth and kept it that way.  
She was at a loss.

"You're not wrong in thinking that I'm jealous" He told her casually, as if  
it was everyday normality to be speaking to her this way. He stood up from  
the bed, and found himself only a few short steps away from her.  
"But I'm allowed to be, because I've not said anything to you about just  
being friends..."

Hermione frowned for a moment, mulling over his words.  
Then her eyes opened wider, as the realisation dawned on her.  
"You said you felt the same"

Draco shook his head.  
"No, I agreed to what you were saying...I went along with it because I  
thought it would be simpler-"

"Stop it" She told him suddenly, folding her arms over her chest, suddenly  
becoming chilly in her pajama tanktop. "You can't confuse me like this"

Draco raised an eyebrow inquisitively.  
"I've been confusing you?"

Hermione nodded, looking down at the floor and not meeting his eye.  
"I can't understand you" She told him quietly. "One day you're good with me,  
and the next minute you're all secretive and distant...I thought it would be  
better for both of us if we just stayed-"

"Friends?" He asked her calmly. "Have we ever really been friends?"

Hermione's eyes slowly lifted up to his.  
He thought he saw a strange emotion pass through them, something that was  
in between hurt and rejection...but as soon as it was there, it was gone  
again.

"If we were friends, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And I  
certainly wouldn't be lusting after you like that Weasley twat" He told her  
defiantly.

Hermione's face was suddenly set in stone.  
"That's different" She answered angrily. "I've known Ron for years, and I  
know he would never deliberately-"

"Rape you?"

Hermione gasped at the harsh word.  
Was that really what he had compared it to?

"What is your problem, Malfoy?" she asked him suddenly, gaining some kind of  
courage from some where. She slowly stepped towards him, realising that this  
was the only way to play his game; cruelty.  
"Are you pissed off about the fact that Ron almost got in there before you  
did?"

Draco looked as if he were about to spit venom.

"That's all its about, isn't it?" She asked him angrily. "And here I was  
thinking you could actually change...when really, all you want to do is get  
into my knickers. You are such a liar, Malfoy...you spin a web of lies that  
try and make you out to be a better person, and you're not."

Draco decreased the gap on them both, looking down at her with fire blazing  
in his eyes.  
It wasn't that passionate fire...it was something else that Hermione  
recognised instantly; The other Malfoy was back.

"If I was a liar" He said slowly, his voice almost at a whisper. "If I was  
such a fucking master at deception" He leaned his face down, so his nose was  
now inches from hers. "Then I would be standing here denying my feelings"

Hermione continued to stare into those gray pools for what seemed like  
hours.  
Then she decided to test the waters.

"I don't believe you" She told him casually, seeing his eyes crease into  
angry slits.

He backed away from her, laughing to himself.  
What the hell was going on here? Since when did Granger pull the strings?

Well, you know what?  
Fuck it.  
Let her have it. Let her see it all in all its glory, and then she could  
tell him whether he was lying or not.

"I went into a small bar tonight" He told her, getting onto the bed and  
lying down on it casually, folding his arms behind his head. "Plenty of  
people in there, and the ale was flowing" He closed his eyes. "Anyway, to  
cut a long story short, I happened to bump into Finnigan and the Patil  
twins"

Hermione gave out a sarcastic laugh.  
But for some reason, she really felt like she wasn't going to like what she  
was going to hear.

"The conversation was pleasant" He continued, as if telling an everyday  
story. "And then Finnigan and the other twin disappeared, until it was just  
me and Parvati" Draco hesitantly opened one eye, to find Granger reacting in  
the way that he thought she would; by turning her back on him and going  
towards the closed door.

"We were drunk, and decided to go outside" He heard he doorknob rattle. "We  
almost shagged, Granger" He said in almost a whisper, as if remembering it.

He heard Hermione voice her disgust.  
"I don't need to hear this, Malfoy" She said quietly. "What you do with  
anyone is none of my business-"

"But she pushed me away when she realised that it wasn't her I was thinking  
about"

"Oh, got Pansy on the brain, have you?" She asked him scornfully, creaking  
the doorknob again.

"No" He told her, almost holding his breath. "It's you, actually"

He heard the doorknob grow silent.  
He wasn't sure if she was still actually in the room or not, because he  
couldn't hear anything-

The floorboard creaked.  
He opened his eyes to find her still standing by the doorway, the door half  
open and a look of confusion on her face.  
Obviously she seemed to be having a hard time realising what he had said to  
her.

Maybe it was time to let her know exactly what had happened...  
He got up from the bed again and made his way over to her slowly, without  
saying a word. She didn't move, and he didn't expect her to.  
Once they were face to face, he gave her a little smirk before leaning  
forward.

Hermione held her breath, waiting for his lips to come crashing into hers.  
They never came.  
Instead, she felt his arm slip past her shoulder and then heard the door  
click back shut.

"What's the matter, Granger?" He asked her, still smirking. "Were you  
expecting me to do something different?"

Hermione just stared at him.  
It was almost two in the morning and they were having a conversation about  
god knows what that happened god knows when...maybe her brain was fucked,  
because she definitely needed some sleep.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened, Granger?" He asked her, his voice  
sounding a little harsh. "Do you want me to tell you why you stopped me from  
getting a guaranteed shag?"

Hermione glared at him.  
"You're a pig, Malfoy"

As soon as she had said this, she automatically wished she hadn't.  
For some reason, those words had turned Draco into an animal, and no sooner  
had the words left her mouth, did she find herself being propelled backwards  
until her back was firmly pressed against the petal-covered wall just beside  
the door.  
Both of Malfoy's arms were on each side of her head, trapping her as his  
face was now inches from her own, his hot breath against her cheeks.

"Listen to me" He told her sternly, his eyes boring into hers and not  
letting her break contact. "I thought I could get a shag out of her so I  
could get away from you" Hermione's eyes widened in shock at his words. "I'm  
not lying to you or myself anymore, Granger" he told her, his eyes taking  
the chance to glance down at her lips. "I closed my eyes for one second with  
Parvati tonight, and as soon as I opened them, there you were"

Hermione closed her eyes slowly, swallowing hard.  
She was not used to situations like this. They never happened to her.

"All the time I was stood there... my lips against her neck, my groans  
swallowed by her mouth, my cock grinding against her groin ...all that time  
Granger, and all I could think about was you" He told her truthfully, one of  
his hands now coming up to stroke her cheek experimentally, his thumb  
tracing the outline of the bone. "You drive me crazy in the worst possible  
way, and it's getting to the point where I'm feeling the need to just push  
you down onto the nearest surface and take you"

Hermione's eyes opened again, and to Draco's surprise he could see a  
different sort of fire in her eyes to the one he was used to; the annoyed  
one that meant she was losing her patience.  
No, this fire bore the markings of a woman realising exactly how words could  
really effect her.

"Don't get me wrong, Luv" He continued, still studying her eyes with the  
same amount of passion. "I wouldn't do it"

Hermione's eyes momentarily held a flicker of disappointment.  
Draco couldn't help but smirk at that.

"I'd let you make the first move"

His thumb was still stroking her cheek, running small circles over it. He  
could feel her gradually leaning into his touch.

"Will you make the first move, _Hermione?_ "

She looked directly into his eyes when he spoke her true name.  
It wasn't said in a mocking tone, as it usually was. But instead, he was  
asking her to do something for him...a request.

And she knew she wouldn't be able to resist.

Her lips were upon his as soon as the sentence had escaped his mouth.  
She knew they shouldn't be doing this, because at this moment in time  
neither of them knew whether their passion was fueled by passion or  
forgiveness.

Passion; something that had longed for since their first taste.

Forgiveness; something they had longed for since they first met.

Draco's hands slowly wound themselves into her hair, and just like the last  
time their bodies had met in this way, he drew closer to her until they were  
touching almost intermediately.  
Hermione's hands had shot out from her side to explore his chest as she had  
done only a few weeks ago, as his tongue entwined with hers and seemed to be  
everywhere at once.

This was not a Ron Weasley kiss.  
This was a kiss that held no limit, and always held the element of surprise.  
This was why she knew that kissing Ron was wrong.

She felt his hands slowly make their way down to the sides of her shirt, and  
then she felt him kneading the skin of her top of her hips as his hands  
slipped past the fabric.

She was on fire.  
He was soaring.

As the kiss became more heated, Hermione grabbed at the collar on his shirt  
and tried to pull him closer. Draco responded by drawing their bodies far  
more intimately than before, and his right arm came out to grasp the  
underneath of her knee and hoist it up over his hip as he had done the last  
time.

Hermione found herself relishing the feeling of Malfoy's groin pressed so  
intimately in between her thighs.  
She had remembered him doing this last time, only this time if felt as if he  
were even closer to her.

Draco broke the kiss and started ravishing her neck, breathing heavily.  
"We can't do this here; not like this" he told her in between licking his way  
from her earlobe to her collarbone.

All Hermione could do was pant.

"I don't trust myself around you" He continued, nipping at the nape of her  
neck. "If we carry on like this, then I'm not going to be able to stop  
myself"

Hermione appeared to have heard enough.  
Without saying a word, she pushed Draco away from her, making him stumble  
for the second time that night.  
But instead of looking at her to find her angry or disgruntled, he found her  
making her way towards him and pushing him further away, until the back of  
his knees hit something and he found himself falling back onto the bed.

She was on him in an instant; in much the same position as she had been this  
morning.  
She brought her face down, close enough for him to see the fire in her eyes.  
"You're not doing this to me again" She told him through gritted teeth.  
"We've messed around with each other too much, and I'm getting sick and tired  
of it. You either want me, or you don-"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence.  
Draco flipped them over on the tiny bed, so that she now lay completely  
underneath him with her legs on either side of his waist.

He smirked at her.  
"Who knew the little Gryffindor could be such a tease?"

Hermione blinked at him for a few moments.  
"I'm not" She told him defiantly, only just realising the position they now  
lay in. "But since you've told me what you want, I thought it would only be  
fair to participate"

Draco gave a small chuckle. But straight after, he was all business.  
"I don't want some ten minute shag in the bedroom the size of a broom  
closet" He told her honestly, his fingers reaching out to play with the hair  
that was fanned out over the pillow beneath her. "I've done that so often  
that it starts to get boring"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco got her attention back by moving his hips against hers purposely.  
She hissed, not expecting the contact to be so intimate.

"If we do this, then we do this right" he told her. "I'm aware of  
your...err...virgin state" he said delicately, earning a small glare from  
her. "So if this happens, then it happens when you feel ready-"

"But I am-"

Draco hushed her with his finger on her lips.  
She was never going to understand what he was trying to say...unless...

Hermione watched Draco's expression become tense, and his eyes darkened with  
passion.  
He bent his head down and kissed the tip of her nose, before devouring her  
mouth in an erotic kiss that made her toes curl with excitement, and a dull  
ache appeared between her legs.

He pulled away slowly, his lips still touching hers.  
"I'll show you" He told her, slowly grinding his hips against hers.

Hermione bit her lip as a moan wanted to escape her lips.  
From this position she could feel everything, almost as if her sweet spot  
were more tender.

She felt Malfoy's hands travel south very slowly...and then noticed that his  
lips seemed to be doing the same down her neck, until they stopped just  
above the little bit of cleavage that was now showing over her shirt.

"What are you doing?" She asked him curiously, closing her eyes and biting  
her lip again when she felt him kiss the tops of both her mounds.

Draco looked up at her, and there was no grin on his face.  
He looked serious, as if he were wrestling with his feelings.

"I'm going to show you that you're not ready for this"

And then she felt him slide down the zipper on her jeans.  
She would have paid more attention, but Malfoy had chosen the same moment to  
use his other hand to undo the first two buttons to her shirt, so that there  
were more of her breasts now on view to him.

Draco looked at her momentarily, silently asking for the go ahead.  
Hermione said nothing.  
She didn't need to.  
Her breasts were fine now. For some reason, they had stopped producing  
milk...but that must have been some sort of spell that one of the teachers  
had done for the task.

All those thoughts flew out of her brain when she felt Malfoy's silky lips  
kiss her left breast.  
Tenderly, as if he were still asking permission.  
She thought she would have felt more embarrassment when he slowly pulled the  
front of her bra down to expose both breasts, including her nipples. But she  
didn't care, she just felt the need to be touched.

Draco realised that she didn't even know that he had undone both her zipper  
and her top button, and was now well on his way to pushing the top of her  
pants down slowly.  
What he also realised what how absolutely fantastically gorgeous she looked  
when her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was heavy.  
He couldn't help the smile that had passed his lips when he saw her breasts  
for the first time. Huge mounds of flesh and tempted him to the point of  
distraction.  
He blew experimentally on one of the rosy nipples.

"Oh..." She whispered, closing her eyes and throwing her head back.  
Just like he had imagined she would.

He took this to his advantage and went back to work on her neck, meanwhile  
his body had moved off of her and to the side, so he could get better access  
to push down her pants a little further.  
She hadn't even realised his tactic, for as he moved away from her, he used  
his vacated hand and lightly reached out and let his fingers roll over her  
nipple slowly, with a feather-like touch.

"Shit..." She croaked, clenching her teeth.

Draco smirked against her collarbone.  
As his finger rolled around her nipple, he found that his other hand was  
currently holding him half on top of her.  
What a predicament...and those pants really needed to be taken down a little  
more...  
He grinned to himself, and then set about his task.

Hermione shuddered when his lips left her neck.  
It was funny how such a simple task could elicit such passionate thoughts.  
She knew what she wanted right now, and it came wrapped in a parcel that  
looked a lot like Malfoy.  
She couldn't think coherently however, when she suddenly felt something wet  
stroking her nipple.

"Malfoy!" She almost screamed, opening her eyes wide and looking at him.  
He didn't say anything as his tongue held itself suspended on her nipple,  
but grinned and devoured as much of her breast as he could into his mouth.

Hermione realised she couldn't take it.  
She put her hands over her face and held her breath. She knew there was  
something building up inside of her, waiting to be realised, but she wasn't  
certain if she would ever be able to release it.

Draco had successfully been able to free one hand, and was currently pushing  
her pants down inch by inch, so by the time they were at the bottom of her  
feet, she hadn't even realised.  
He left her breasts then, - and thought he could hear Granger moaning at the  
loss of contact - and pushed himself further down the bed until he could  
pull the jeans easily off of her feet.

Hermione stared at him, dumbfounded.  
How the hell had he managed to do that?

"I'm good at what I do" He told her with a shrug, before casting the  
offending garments away and prowling his way up her body, casting a  
lingering look at her creamy-pale legs, before settling in between them.

Hermione gasped.  
NOW she could feel almost everything.  
And the pair of them were only separated by her underwear, and his pants.

He kissed her on the tip of her nose again, his eyes looking into hers with  
so much passion that she felt dizzy.

Draco could hardly bare it.  
Doing all of this was killing him in the best possible way. Kissing her like  
that, and now being in between the one place he had longed for, for what  
seemed like forever...it was killing him slowly.  
If she gave him a sign that showed she was ready, then he would accept it in  
a heartbeat.  
But he knew that he would not get that sign for a while, yet.

"I'm going to prove to you that you're not ready to take such a big step,  
yet" He told her, emphasizing on the 'yet' part.

"How do you know I'm not ready?" She asked him, her hands rubbing circles on  
his shoulders.

Draco smirked at her.  
"I'll let you know when you are"

And then he kissed her again.  
It wasn't harsh, and it wasn't feathery, either. It was a kiss that told her  
that he would wait.  
Wait for her.

But it didn't really suite Hermione right now, because she suddenly felt hot  
and bothered, and couldn't think of a way to help her out of her  
predicament.

Luckily for her, Draco knew exactly what she needed.  
She felt his weight shift again so that he was in the same position as  
before; lying just to the side of her on the bed, his forearm bearing his  
weight.

He continued to kiss her as his free hand began to wonder down her body.  
Stopping at her breasts to pinch her nipples erotically, making her groan.  
Stopping at her abdomen to rub his palm against it, feeling the warmth of  
her skin through his fingertips.  
Stopping his hand dead just above the hem of her underwear.

He stopped kissing and looked into her eyes.  
"Say the words and it's stopped, Granger" He told her in a whisper, offering  
her a way out.

She could see it in his eyes;  
He didn't want to stop, but he was giving her the choice.  
That was something Ron had never done.

"Show me" Were her only words, her eyes blazing into his.

Draco gave her a small smile, before bringing his forehead against hers and  
closing his eyes.  
Slowly, his fingers lifted the waistband of her plain white underwear and  
then disappeared inside.

For a moment Hermione could only feel them traveling, feel them getting  
closer to her center.  
Until-

"Oh my god!" She shouted, her eyes growing wide as she clamped her legs  
shut.

Draco couldn't help but laugh.  
"Shhh" He told her through his laughter. "Don't wake up the whole house!"

Hermione looked at him wildly.  
"What did you do?" She asked him.

"This" Draco told her with a grin, and did it again.

"Shit!" She shouted, even louder this time.

Draco shook his head and told her to keep her voice down.  
"Get used to it, first" He told her. "Just relax into it...feel for the  
rhythm of it..."

Hermione tried to relax, knowing that he was about to touch her there again.

Draco went slowly this time, putting the pad of his index finger onto her  
clitoris. He kept it still for a few moments, watching Granger's face slowly  
shift from shock to curiosity. Then he slowly stroked the little nub a few  
times, watching gleefully as her face contorted.  
Well, at least this time she was being quiet.

Draco began to stroke a little faster each time, noticing the way Hermione's  
brow seemed to be creased in concentration. As his index finger gently  
stroked her clit, his forefinger slowly made its way down to her closed  
entrance, searching for a sign...

There was nothing there.  
Obviously he wasn't working hard enough.  
With this in mind, Draco slowly added his thumb to his index finger, and  
made a light pinching sensation on Hermione's weak spot.

She groaned, her arms stretching out to grab the quilt on the mattress and  
prying it from the corners of the bed.  
Her legs were slowly opening again, and Draco knew it would be long before  
she was writhing underneath the mensurations of his hand.

"Do you want more?" he asked her in a whisper.

All she could do was nod, too busy feeling the throb between her legs  
building.

Draco's pace began to quicken, as his fingers moved more vigorously back and  
to.  
He was surprised by the way she had taken to it so well, considering she was  
a little nervous and jumpy at first.  
One of her hands suddenly came down on his own, separated by the panties  
that were now finally becoming wet.

Her eyes opened and she looked at him.  
He knew what she was saying to him.  
She needed something more.

But that was the problem for Draco.  
He knew that if he gave her what she wanted, then she would soon realise  
that she wasn't ready, and then all of this would be gone.

"Need more" she told him through heavy pants. She knew where she needed to  
be touched, but she wasn't sure how to go about asking...she didn't really  
know what was going on in that area...

Draco snapped.  
It was almost as if she were begging him for it.  
And Granger never needed to beg him for anything.  
Maybe she did need to realise it all for herself, after all.

He nodded slowly, and then allowed his forefinger to travel down to her  
opening.  
Slowly, he pushed past her first set of silky, wet lips.  
Not a problem.  
Then he came to a small passage way, which seemed to tighten upon the entry  
of his finger.  
He stopped for a second and slowly stroked his thumb over her clit, making  
her momentarily forget about the little invasion he was making to her body.  
When he thought she was distracted enough, he quickly pushed his finger in  
fully, and instantly felt her muscles contract around it.

"Ouch!" She squealed, grimacing.

Draco instantly extracted his finger and began stroking her clit again.

"See" he whispered to her, bending down and kissing her lips soothingly.  
"That's why you're not ready"

He made to pull his hand away from her, but her own kept him there.  
He looked up at her curiously.

"I need something" She told him quietly, sounding embarrassed. "It won't go  
away"

Draco understood perfectly.  
How rude to even consider pulling away without finishing what he had  
started?

He nodded with a smirk.  
Bending down to her ear, he whispered; "Hang on"

And his fingers were rhythmically stroking her clit again.  
Far from being gentle like he was before, Hermione found herself holding  
back loud moans as his expert hands showed her things that she never knew  
you could do to a female body.  
He never ventured down to her opening, although once or twice Hermione  
really wanted him to, because she got the instinct of wanting to be  
filled...as if the thrill of him stroking her wasn't enough.

Draco watched her face contort with so many emotions that he was finding it  
difficult to look at her without wanting to crawl on top of her and bury  
himself to the hilt.  
His expert knowledge in the art of female masturbation was out in full  
throttle, and he was making sure that she could feel the full effects of it.

"Do you like that?" He asked her, whispering in her ear.

"Yessss..." She hissed, her hips bucking up experimentally towards his  
fingers.

"Will you do something for me?" He asked her, a smirk on his lips.

He felt her nod.

Draco decided to quicken the pace again, and felt the full effects of his  
actions when her pussy became wetter than ever.  
He could tell she was close. Her breathing was erratic and her hips were  
bucking more than they were previously.

"I want you to say my name" He told her, his voice filled with passion.

Hermione wasn't too sure how to take this.  
When was she supposed to say his name?  
How was she supposed to say his name?

"Er...Malfoy?" She said, and his fingers worked her faster. "Shit!"

Draco chuckled.  
"No...I want you to say it when you come"

"Wh...what?" She asked him, feeling his fingers stroking both her clit and  
her outer lips now, sending delightful tingles shooting through her body.

"I want you to say my name when you come" He repeated. "You'll feel it  
soon..." His voice was quiet and erotic, and it was bringing Hermione out in  
a sweat. "It'll start in the pit of your stomach...and it'll make its way  
through your body until you can't take it anymore..."

Hermione's breathing was coming in pants now.  
She could feel it.  
She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, just like he had told her.

"...And then I want you to say it, Granger" he told her, nipping her ear. "I  
want you to say my name"

She could feel it spreading.  
She didn't know what it was, but she was aware that she wanted it more than  
anything.

"What's my name?"

Hermione panted, her body beginning to quiver slightly.  
Malfoy's hand was going so fast that her hips couldn't keep up.

"Malfoy"

Draco smirked. He knew it was beginning.

"What's my name?" He repeated.

His fingers kept working their magic, her clit throbbing in need.  
Her toes were curling.  
Her belly felt like it was on fire, as an incredible sensation was about to  
wreak havoc upon her body.

"Malfoy!"

Draco bit his lip as he watched Hermione Granger orgasm for the very first  
time in her life.

"What's my name?"

The tips of his fingers worked on overtime. She crashed.  
The burning sensation had taken her, she was completely powerless.  
It had wormed its way through her body, and all she could feel was the  
overwhelming sensation that felt like she was walking on air; free from life  
and expectation.

" _Draco_ " She said quietly, breathing so hard now that her breasts were  
rising and falling.

For him, nothing had ever been more satisfying.


	29. Chapter 29

**_Author's Note: I would just like to thank everyone for the wonderfully supportive reviews concerning my Step Mother. They were greatly appreciated and they made me feel very appreciated, so thank you all._**

**_My step mum is out of hospital now, but they are monitoring her blood count so she is off the chemo for a few weeks until she gets better. The Doctors have said that she is anemic, and the chemo tablets that they have her on are making her even worse.  
At the moment she is feeling a lot better, but the doctors have said that her health with deteriorate once she starts on the chemo again, so I'm just letting you all know now that I have written chapter 30 (my beta is going over the kinks) and will be posting it next week._**

**_However, from now on I will only be writing 'as and when' I can, so I apologise for anyone getting aggravated by the time gaps inbetween chapters. I understand your irritation but please be patient._**

**_Thankyou all again for the wonderful response to my author's note previously. I'm so greatful, you have no idea!_**

**_Thanks again!_**

**_Shellie_**

**_Xxx_**

** Chapter Twenty Nine**

_'In a world full of people,  
you can lose sight of it.  
When the darkness inside you makes you feel so small'_

The light flashed in his eyes before he had time to register exactly what was happening.  
Everyone seemed to smile pleasantly to themselves, and he could see the surrounding  
families doing almost exactly the same thing.

"I need another one," Janet told the teenagers, fussing at them with her Polaroid camera.

"Airyn wasn't looking at the camera properly."

Hermione sighed. "Mum, she's never going to look properly because you're  
never going to have her attention for more than three seconds."

"Just one more," Paul butted in, almost being shoved out of the way from passersby on the train platform. "Keep your mother from moaning about it all the way home."

Janet glared at her husband momentarily, and then looked back at the unlikely couple in front of her. It was funny how nicely the two were matched together. They seemed to compliment each other well, and the child nestling herself into Draco's chest  
hadn't done them any harm, either.

"Say cheese!" she said excitedly, holding the polariod camera upto her eyes.

Draco glanced down at Granger momentarily, and then slowly put his arm around her shoulder as Paul had instructed him to do two poses before this one.

Hermione looked up at him with a small smile.

Nothing really needed to be said between them in that moment.The teens smiled slightly for the camera, but yet again Airyn paid no attention."She's just camera shy," Paul told Janet, before she got a chance to take another one.

"But this is the only time we'll ever get to see her," she almost wailed, fanning the Polariod as the picture slowly came into view on the plastic paper.

Hermione felt a horrible shudder go through her momentarily. Best not to think about that yet.

"You had better get going," Paul told the pair. "The train will be leaving soon."

Janet enveloped her daughter in a hug, and then plucked Airyn from her father's arms and started doting on her, a soppy smile on her face.

Hermione swore she could see tears starting to creep into her Mother's eyes.

Draco caught Mr. Granger's gaze.  
The looked at each other momentarily, before Paul smiled at him and stretched out his hand.  
Draco took it without even contemplating the fact that a simple Muggle would want to make physical contact with him.

They shook hands firmly, and Draco gave him a small smile.Then he wasn't sure how it happened, but Paul had suddenly brought him  
forward. Draco couldn't quite describe what it was like to get a hug from another man, let alone a Muggle. But it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it didn't feel bad at all."Look after her," Paul whispered to him.

"I will," Draco told him. "She's my baby."

Paul chuckled. "I meant_ my_ baby."

Draco brought himself back slightly, until the two had let go of each other.  
He looked to the side of him, to see Granger standing there, conversing with her mother whom seemed to be struggling to let Airyn go.

"I know."

Paul gave him a small smile, and a nod of approval.  
As far as he was concerned, Draco Malfoy had finally shown his true colours... and they were neither black nor white. They were something in between that seemed hard to figure out, but once you unraveled the mystery, you found someone with a lot of determination to prove themselves.

Hermione finally dragged herself away from her mother.  
She looked over at Draco, to find him smiling slightly at her.

She smiled back.  
"We should get going."

Draco nodded, taking Airyn in his arms once again, fixing the baby blue frills on the bottom of her dress.  
"What time is she due her feed?" he asked Hermione as they started moving away from her parents.

"In about an hour, maybe a little less-"

"Wait!" came a cry from behind them.They both looked around to see Paul running towards them, a parcel in his hands."Here," he said as he reached them, and handing the parcel to Draco.

Draco gave Airyn to Hermione, who smiled slyly and carried on walking slowly towards the train barrier.  
"What's this for?" Draco asked curiously, seeing that the wrapping paper on the package had a big fat man in a red suit looking at him.

"Something to remember us by," Paul told him, laughter in his voice.  
As Mr.Granger slowly walked back to his wife, Draco began to unwrap the package.  
He smiled to himself. Oh, what could possibly be a better send off?  
The Grangers had bought him a children's play piano.

oxoxoxoxoxo

"There she is!"

"Call her in here, she might want to come and sit-"Ginny frowned.

"She's walking right past the compartment!"

"Ron, you're nearest the door," Harry said. "Shout her in."

Ron wasn't quite sure what to do.  
He could feel himself breaking out into a sweat on his forehead, and he was sure that the others were looking at him suspiciously for sitting there and saying nothing.

"She probably wants to go and sit with Malfoy and his cronies," Ron answered, looking anywhere but at the door.Ginny eyed him suspiciously.

She knew something was terribly wrong with her brother; he had been acting weird since that night at Hermione's house. Now he was showing even greater signs of distress.

"Oh, for God's sake..." Harry muttered, getting up from his seat and handing baby Freddie over to Ginny. He made his way to the compartment's sliding doors and looked out of them.

Too late; Hermione was now nowhere to be seen.

oxoxoxoxoxoxo

"I could hear them calling you."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Don't lie, you just don't want to face Weasley."

Hermione sat in an empty compartment with Malfoy and Airyn. As they had boarded the train she could see flecks of glowing red hair every now and again, and tried her best to avoid it. She knew there was no use trying to hide it from Malfoy since he seemed to see right through her.

"It's not that," she told him, looking down into her arms as she bounced Airyn lightly in her lap. "I just want to sort things out with him before I have to be around him and the others," she said truthfully. "I just don't want them seeing us being off with one another."

Draco made a disapproving sound at the back of his throat.  
"So you don't intend for them to ever find out? Whenever they do then he deserves everything he gets."

Hermione glared at him slightly. "Can we not talk about this, please? It's not a conversation I feel entirely comfortable with."

Draco chose to stay quiet. If he said what he really wanted to say then he knew Granger would probably not want to speak to him for the rest of the train ride.

Hermione glanced at him from the corner of her eye. It had started yesterday. It was the day after _that _ night.  
The one when passion seemed to overcome them almost instantly.Afterwards, Hermione had left a sleeping Draco in his bed and she had walked back to her own bedroom.

She felt guilty for not having been with Airyn, but surely mothers and fathers couldn't be with their children every living hour of the day? Nevertheless, she still felt a pang of guilt. Throughout the rest of the night there were the usual night feeds, nappy changes and spontaneous crying. She didn't mind it much, considering it took her mind from her restless sleep, and allowed her to think about something other than Draco Malfoy.

But then morning came.  
And along with it came a friend: embarrassment.

During breakfast she couldn't look at him. She knew he was trying to make eye contact with her, but for some reason she just couldn't do it. She felt like the night before had been something that they were never meant to do; or at least something that SHE was never meant to do.

Was it the way he had been with her?  
No... he was actually quite a gentleman.

Was it the fact that he had touched her in her most intimate places?  
No... after all, it was not the act itself that had gotten her so embarrassed.

It was the way she had reacted towards his touch.  
The way he would ask her to say something, and she would do it without a thought otherwise.

The way she willingly let those little moans slip past her lips.  
She knew he remembered it, and that was the worst thing.  
She wondered if she had embarrassed herself by getting carried away in the moment.Were girls supposed to enjoy it that much? Were girls supposed to voice that they liked it that much? Whatever the answer was, she certainly wasn't going to ask Malfoy.

And so they had been a little uncomfortable with each other since that night.  
Hermione seemed to get the impression that Malfoy felt the same way, because at times within the past two days he had been rather grumpy with her.And to think; she had said his name.

His _real _name, and not just his last name.

Maybe that was what had thrown him off... actually hearing her say it...Draco stared at her from his place on the opposite side of the compartment. He had to smirk at the position he was currently in. He knew exactly what Granger was thinking, and he didn't really blame her either considering she was new at this sort of thing.He was rather disappointed to find himself alone in his bed the other morning.

At first he thought she had fled in the middle of the night out of pure embarrassment and regret. But there was the thought of Airyn in the back of his mind, and he knew that the reason that she left was probably a mixture of both.His fingers burned slightly where he had touched her. A burning sensation that he knew would grow stronger the next time it happened... and he knew full well there would be a next time. The seeds had been planted now, and there was no going back.

After a few minutes silence, Hermione decided that she couldn't take it anymore.  
"I'm sorry," she told him quietly. "I don't mean to be off with you, I just have a lot on my mind."

Draco shrugged his shoulders.  
"At the end of the day, I'd rather you be off with me than ignore me altogether."

Hermione looked over at him.  
"I've not been ignoring you."

Draco chuckled quietly.  
"Not intentionally, you haven't," he told her, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly. "But I realised that with your little disappearing act the other morning, that you're probably feeling a little embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed." The blush on her cheeks, however, betrayed her words.

"That's a bare-faced lie, and you know it," he told her, staring at her flaming cheeks.  
"But I wouldn't expect anything less, considering you've never really done that sort of thing before."

Hermione glared at him.  
"I don't want to have this conversation, either," she told him sternly, holding Airyn closer to her.

Draco smirked at her. "I didn't think you would, but that doesn't mean that it won't happen somewhere along the line."

Hermione chose not to listen to him.  
At this moment in time she really didn't need this conversation. Maybe she would be ready when she was actually able to contemplate the aftermath of the situation and exactly what has transpired between them... but until she was ready to face the light, her instincts were telling her to avoid it.

Draco took her silence as an understanding that she wasn't ready to speak about it.  
He understood; she needed to take her time with this one.  
He would be there when she was ready to let it all out.Instead, he rested his head on the back of the leather seat and closed his eyes for a moment.

Instantly, Draco could hear the dull sound of Hermione's breathing, and the small sounds coming from Airyn. It relaxed him immediately, and he decided to forget about his current Granger-associated-problem, and realised that he really felt the need to contemplate his own problem:

The Granger-associated-problem that had to be contemplated rather more vigorously than the rest of them; HOW he had been able to fall for the girl.

"Screw it," he said under his breath, putting one arm over his eyes and forgetting to think about anything at all except the movements of the train.  
He would think about everything when he wasn't in her presence... he hoped that would make it easier.

oxoxoxoxoxo

"Home sweet home."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

Placing her jacket on the back of the chair in their conjoined head-study, she looked over to see Malfoy throwing Airyn up  
into the air playfully, and then catching her again, a big grin spread upon his face.

"Airyn needs a bottle, and then she needs to be put down."

Draco gave her an odd look with his eyes.  
"Put down? She's not a dog, Granger."

Hermione glared at him.  
"You know what I mean."

Draco brought Airyn into his chest protectively, still bouncing her up and down slightly.  
"Did you hear that, kid?" he asked her comically. "Your mum wants to put you down."

Hermione could not help the small smile that spread across her face.

This was the Malfoy she knew. The one who cared for his daughter, and liked to banter with her and give as good as he got... she wasn't used to the Malfoy who wanted to talk about the innocent part of her. The part she was supposed to share with someone who wasn't Malfoy. It was funny how quickly life could do a number on you.

"I'll take her for a bath," Hermione announced, walking over to him and holding out her arms.

Draco pulled a face, drawing Airyn even closer to him.  
"How do I know you're not planning on drowning her?"

Hermione's eyes widened.  
"What the bloody hell gave you that idea?"

"The same one that you had when you were thinking about putting her down..." he told her with humour in his tone.

Hermione shook her head. "You're an imbecile."

"Thank you."  
Draco kissed the top of his baby's head, and then handed her over.

He watched Hermione walk towards the bathroom, and disappear behind the door. WHY was this so hard?  
If she was any other girl, he could walk up to her and basically list all of her faults in the bedroom and then walk away without a care in the world. It was obviously not like that with Granger. She had no faults. Not yet, anyway.Maybe he needed to get the full effect before he felt the tension between them lift?

God knows he would have liked nothing better than to throw her down onto the nearest hard surface and give her one... but no, suddenly he had grown a conscience... stupid bloody thing, that was.He had spent many a night with a rather nice looking girl, and still had no problems getting up in the morning and getting her out of his bed and his thoughts straightaway.

He knew right off the bat that it would not be that way with Granger. Not even after their very first encounter...for some unfathomable reason, she interrupted his thoughts more and more.Draco shook his head from his thoughts and walked towards the window, seeing  
the lamp-lights lit around the Quidditch pitch. The glass pane steamed up instantly as Draco leaned his forehead against it, feeling a cooling sensation hit him.Hermione Granger ultimately had him exactly where she wanted him... at a loss.

How did this happen?  
How did he go from loathing the girl to... lusting after her? Was that what it was called? Did he lust after Granger, or did it go deeper than that? Draco felt that he would be in too deep if he answered that question.The tricky thing with Granger was the fact that it was hard to know exactly how she would react to things. He never really knew where her opinions stood from day to day, and sometimes he wondered whether her opinions of him changed from day to day, too.

Draco squinted and tried to make out the dark object out on the Qudditch pitch.  
For a moment he thought he saw someone flying around out there, but -Actually, he was right.  
And even from his place by the window, a good distance from the pitch, he could still make out the unmistakable sight of that flaming red hair...His anger returned full force.

For a moment, he almost wished that Hogwarts would allow apparitions just so he could go down to that pitch and knock shit out of the prick.

_ 'I bet he hasn't even had the guts to admit to anyone else what he's done...'_ Draco thought to himself, sneering evilly and keeping his eyes directly on the red-head.

"What's so interesting out there?" a voice came from behind him.

"Him," Draco answered coldly.

Hermione didn't need to ask who 'he' was... she knew simply from Draco's reaction.

She didn't answer, and instead sat down on a chair and began to rub Airyn's back smoothly, as it was covered by the soft-flannel baby towel.

"Do you think he's told your friends?" Draco asked her.

Hermione kept her eyes on the roaring fire in the common room.  
Not this conversation again...  
"I wouldn't know. I've not spoken to any of them yet and-"

"I'll take that as a 'no', then," he asnwered her bitterly. "Otherwise, your brave Gryffindors probably would have come to your aid and begged you to forgive him."

Hermione looked over at him. "And why would they do that?"

Draco shrugged, keeping his eyes on the king of Weasels. "Because that's what you lot do isn't it? You can't go falling out with each other because you're like one big happy family."

"Why can't you let it go?" she asked him quietly.

He looked around at her then. "How _ can_ you let it go? Apparently I'm the only one who seems to know what the word 'justice' means."

Hermione's eyes gave him a look of complete and utter loathing for a second.  
"It's not like you've never tried it on with a girl who wasn't interested, Malfoy."

Draco's eyes grew wide. What exactly was she insinuating?

"Who told you that?" he asked her angrily.

Hermione started cuddling Airyn protectively.  
"It was floating around in fifth year," she answered him quietly, glancing at anything other than him.

Draco shook his head, laughing slightly.  
"Maybe you should try getting the whole story before you go around spreading nasty diseases like that."

"I didn't spread-""

I don't give a shit," he cut in before she had a chance to explain. "I would NEVER intentionally come onto someone who blatantly didn't want me. Pushing my luck is something I do in school, Granger... it's not something I actually try on human beings."

Hermione started to feel guilty. She knew she should never have opened her mouth.

"I took Janice Cullington to her OWN bed that night, because I was a prefect and SHE had had too much to drink during a stint in a drinking game with a few other Slytherins,"  
Draco told her, slowly getting close to her. "I left her there, but by morning she was claiming that I had come back into her room later on that night and forced myself on her."

Hermione listened intently. Back in fifth year it had been a popular story that was passed around the houses. Malfoy had gotten into ALOT of trouble for the accusations, but as far as she knew he had always pleaded his innocence.

"Everyone blamed me, naturally," he continued. "But what else could I do? I wasn't about to rat out a friend."

Hermione eyeballed him then. "What?"

"Theodore Knott was the one who raped her. He was drunk... I just never told anyone because I'm a better friend than that."

Hermione could not believe what she was hearing.  
"Are you really telling me that you didn't get your name in the clear because you wanted to protect a friend?" she asked him, utter shock showing on her face.

Draco shrugged.  
"What's wrong with that? You're doing exactly the same."

Hermione stood up, still clutching Airyn to her, who was slowly starting to whimper.  
"My situation is completely different."

"How?" he asked her. "You're unwilling to tell someone about Weasley, just the same as I'm unwilling to tell anyone about Knott."

"But you don't have a choice, Malfoy!" she told him angrily. "It's not your choice to make! Janice deserves to know exactly WHO raped her!"

"And everyone needs to know that Weasley ALMOST raped you!"

Hermione let out a cry of frustration.  
"I really can't be doing this right now, Malfoy," she told him angrily, pushing past him and walking towards the steps to her dorm room. "I'm taking Airyn to bed and staying there myself."

Draco laughed.  
"Oh yeah, that's right... run away from confrontation! That's what you're good at!"

Hermione almost looked saddened by his words.  
"What do I have to confront when you're putting it all out there for me?"

"You need to grow up Granger... live in the real world," he told her, his tone like acid.

"I've lived in the real world all of my life, Malfoy" She told him, finally turning to the stairs. "Maybe it's time you started."

He watched her disappear up the stairs.  
That aching in his heart was back ten-fold. He really had no idea just how much it hurt to have a real argument with Hermione Granger.

But what hurt the most was the fact that he knew she had been hurt by his words.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Three hours later and Hermione was still awake.

Airyn had taken her bottle and settled down, but half an hour later she was crying again and hadn't stopped since.Hermione had paced the room about a million times, and still could not calm down her little girl.  
Nappies had been changed and more bottles had been given, and still she would not settle.

So now Hermione sat in the middle of the bed, cradling Airyn in her arms and rocking her slowly.She thought she would be more distressed by the crying, but in truth her previous conversation with Malfoy had basically thrown her through a loop. Between Airyn's crying and her own thoughts screaming at her, she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

Why did Malfoy feel the need to cover for a friend who had done something wrong?

And why did he even dare to compare his situation to her own?  
Airyn let out an ear piercing scream which almost made Hermione jump out of her skin. Hermione instantly got out of the bed and started pacing once again, putting Airyn onto her shoulder and rubbing her back.

Her thoughts turned to Draco Malfoy once more.

Why did he always feel the need to get on her back about everything? He was certainly no angel himself, so what right did he have to speak down to her like that? Maybe it was just his Malfoy ways coming out of him once again... but he knew damn well that she had never liked it.

Airyn wasn't letting up.

Hermione realised that her daughter had never cried this long before, and it was starting to unnerve her. There was something about the crying that seemed different to her usual tone... it sounded panicked and distressed.Maybe she could feel the tension between her Mum and Dad? Professionals did claim that children could pick up on tension caused between people... maybe her anguish was part of the reason for why she was crying?

"Airyn, what's wrong eh?" Hermione asked her daughter gently, taking her from her shoulder and cradling her once again in her arms. Her baby was red in the face from her screaming, and she looked like she was nowhere near from stopping.

Was it her? Did Airyn not like her?  
Hermione sat back down onto the edge of the bed.

Maybe if she went and got Malfoy, he might know what to-

_ 'Not a chance,'_ came an agitated voice in her head. _'Going and asking Malfoy for help now would practically be like admitting defeat to yourself.' _

But she needed help.

_'You can do it on your own,'_ her inner voice chided her. _'You don't need Malfoy's help... prove it to yourself.' _

How was she supposed to calm down a baby who was clearly not responding to her?

_'What does it matter? You'll find a way... just DON'T ask Malfoy.'_ Airyn kept up her relentless crying.  
If she didn't stop soon, Hermione felt that she was going to lose her mind.So she did the only thing that she knew she would be able to do.

She let her own tears fall with her daughter's cries.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Draco had been sitting in the Common Room for what had seemed like hours.  
Having had time to think about the current situation, he realised that getting angry at Granger solved nothing... and now his sub-conscious was telling him to do the right thing and apologise.It wasn't her fault that Weasley had tried to take advantage of her in her drunken state.

And she wasn't at fault for wanting to keep this little secret from her friends... it was her decision to make on the subject, and he really did not have any say in it.Sure, it pissed him off to think about Weasley's hands and lips on hers... touching her and breathing the same air as her...

_'Prick deserves to die.'_ But she had spoken some truth to him tonight.

She was just as guilty as he was for hiding things for ones own personal sanity. Even now, Janice Cullington could never look him in the eyes. Sometimes he wanted to blurt the truth out to her... but in doing so, he was betraying someone whom he had an alliance to... and that made things difficult.

Dwelling on past events really did him no good, but as he sat there on the cough with his head in his hands, he realised that it was all he ever really did. Whenever he looked back, he always thought of ways to rectify past mistakes… and tonight he was thinking  
of nothing but his and Granger's last conversation.

What the hell had happened to him?  
He felt like he was losing his touch. Is this what happened when men became fathers? All sorts of psychological walls being knocked down left, right and center? Barriers being pushed beyond their limits? Draco felt himself wanting to step over a threshold of life that he wasn't sure he wanted to explore yet...He lay his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

Nighttime was his favourite part of the day.  
It was the only time of day when he felt he had control. It was the time of day when his emotions could be let loose, and yet still remain captive within him and controlled.

Draco could hear the crackling of the fire, and along with it he could also hear the screaming cries of his baby girl somewhere in the background.

_ 'How long has she been doing that for?'_ he wondered absentmindedly. _Has Granger actually heard her?'_

Well obviously, Draco.  
The whole bloody school could probably hear her.  
He got up from the couch and went to the foot of the stairs where the Head Girl's room was situated.  
He winced instantly from the sound of the squealing.

Airyn was really kicking up a fuss.

oxoxoxoxoxoxo

Hermione didn't even bother to look up when she heard her bedroom door open.

Neither did she make a movement, curled up on her pillows at the top of her bed as Draco entered the room.His first thought was to chastise Hermione for just leaving Airyn in her cot to squeal like a dying pig, but he instantly thought better of it when he saw the state of the girl.

Her hair was a mess from where she had obviously been trying to use it as some kind of sound-block for her ears from Airyn's screaming. Hermione's face was red and blotchy from where she seemed to have been crying, and even as he approached the bed, she didn't even open her eyes and acknowledge him.He instantly went to the crib and gathered his baby up into his arms, smothering her with kisses over her forehead.

"What's all this?" he asked her softly. "What's getting my little girl all worked up?"  
Her only answer was more crying.

Draco walked over to Hermione's side of the bed with Airyn and looked down at her sternly.  
"Is there a reason for why she was left alone in the crib without you to calm her down?" He asked her.

Hermione said nothing.  
Instead, she just shook her head and turned her back on her make-shift family.

Draco glared at her. "Shirking more responsibility now, are we Granger?" he asked her, his voice icy with a slight hint of disgust.

Again, she did nothing but shake her head.

Draco felt his temper rise. How long had Airyn been left like this whilst Granger moped around?  
"Do I have to remind you that when my daughter is in your care, she is your responsibility?"

Hermione let out a small sob.  
"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she said finally. "Take Airyn with you and just get out."

Draco almost went to oblige, but something stopped him.  
It was the tone of her voice... she was definitely distressed.  
Draco hesitantly sat on the end of her bed, putting Airyn's head on his shoulder. From where he sat he could see the slight shake of Granger's body as she tried to keep her crying hidden from him.

Quietly, and unlike himself, he spoke.  
"What's wrong?"

She didn't answer once again.

Losing his patience, he asked her again.  
"I know there's something wrong with you," he told her. "But if you don't tell me, then how am I supposed to help you?"

Silence ensued.  
Draco was about to give up and leave the room with his daughter. But then he slowly saw Granger's body turning in his direction.

When she was fully turned around he could see her face was all puffed up from crying.  
"She hates me," Hermione told him through her snotty nose.

Without meaning to, Draco laughed.  
"Who hates you? Airyn?"

Hermione nodded, closing her eyes again.  
"She won't let me put her to sleep, and she just doesn't want to respond to me."

Draco smirked. "Granger, she's a baby. Babies don't hate anyone, they just don't stop crying until they've gotten what they want."

Hermione sniffled and opened her eyes to look at him.  
"But I don't know what she wants," she told him, wincing again when Airyn let out another cry. "I've tried everything and she still won't settle."

Draco rubbed his babies back soothingly.  
"Just keep going," he told her quietly. "Either she will stop when she gets what she wants, or she will wear herself out with crying and fall asleep eventually."

Hermione finally sat up. Apparently their little spat before had been forgotten, as right now the needs of their child came first.  
After Hermione had started crying, her body gave up on her, and she decided to just put Airyn back into her crib and curl up on her own bed and will the crying to stop.

Of course, it was a stupid idea, but it allowed Hermione to be the one who was less independent for a change... something that she had not been for a long time.

"You don't have to cry about it," Draco told her. Hermione looked at him, feeling a fresh batch of tears waiting to spill from her eyes. For some reason, she was no longer crying over Airyn, and instead she could feel her mind thinking about everything over the past few months.  
Everything that had transpired since the birth of her daughter... it all decided to come piling on top of her right at that very moment, and she found herself overwhelmed by different types of emotions.

Draco visibly winced when he saw her start to cry again.  
So now he had two crying women to look after? Jesus, this was harder than he first imagined.

"E-everything is j-just piling on top o-of me and I c-can't take it," she managed to get out.

"Like what?" Draco asked her curiously, noticing that Airyn's cries were getting a decibel quieter.

"Everything," she repeated, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Airyn, Ron, my friends, you..."

Draco closed his eyes momentarily. So he had made her cry, had he?

"My mind has gone into overload and it just won't stop," he continued. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm not in control of anything anymore."

Draco knew how she felt. He had felt that way since Airyn's birth.  
Slowly getting up from the bed, holding Airyn's head gently on his shoulder, he took the baby to her crib and settled her down in there for a moment while he spoke to her mother. She was still crying, but Draco was pretty sure that her cries were decreasing, and she was tiring.

"Explain," Draco announced finally, perching himself on the bed on the other side of Hermione.

She said nothing for a few minutes and just sobbed to herself.

Draco found it very uncomfortable; a girl had never cried in front of him before, and he was not sure how to handle it properly. Did he comfort her with words? Did he comfort her physically? This was the reason why Slytherins, and men in general, tried not to show emotion.  
Too much mess came out of the situation for them to handle, and so they avoided it at all costs.

"Airyn started crying and wouldn't stop, so I thought that she wasn't responding to me because she didn't like me," Hermione started, sniffling through her sentence. "And then that lead me to mental breakdown, thinking about everything that had gone on lately with Ron, and how I should really feel about the situation."

Draco made a noise at the back of his throat that sounded not unlike a growl.

"And then once I had thought about that, I thought about you and what was happening."

Draco held his breath for a few seconds.  
He could pretty much explain the first two problems... but for some reason, it was the problem concerning himself that he wasn't sure if he could answer.

"I'm not trying to defend him. I'm just trying to sort it out. In some cases sorting it out simply means ignoring that it ever happened. What he did wasn't right, but neither of us was in our normal state. Ron was my friend," Hermione told him quietly. "At one point I really thought he could mean more than that to me, but I don't think it would have ever worked." Hermione looked over at Draco slowly, trying her best to hide her blotchy face from his view.  
"I've known him since I was 11 and he's always been there for me. What do you do with an emotion like friendship, when it gets mistaken for something else?" she asked him as though he knew the answer.

Draco thought for a minute.  
"Look, I'm not a girl so you really can't expect me to answer that. I don't think like you do." He gave her the tiniest of smirks. "But I guess if your friendship matters to you, then you should make it work."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously.  
"You changed your tune."

Draco shrugged.  
"I've done some thinking is all."

"What about?" she asked him.

Draco looked at her, searching her eyes.  
"This isn't about me," he told her, looking awkward.

No one really asked him about himself. She was the only one bold enough to know that she could overstep the mark and not be bitten down.

"But it is," she told him. "After thinking about Ron, I thought about you too."

Draco suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Wasn't this the conversation he had wanted to have with her since the other night? The one she had refused to have with him? So why did he want to change the subject and forget about it?  
Before Draco had a chance to protest, Hermione began to speak.

"The other night was something I will never forget. I know it probably didn't mean anything to you, but to me  
it was my first experience." She watched Draco's face pale, and he daren't meet her eyes. "This thing that is going on between us is something that I can't explain, and I don't want to figure it out." Draco looked up at her then. "I just want to see where it takes us,  
instead of thinking about the ins and outs and getting even more confused than I already am."

Draco frowned. "What do you mean?"

Hermione wasn't sure where all of this bravery had come from, for her to be able to speak these words to him.  
"I mean that whatever this thing is…" She breathed heavily before finishing. "I want to see where it takes us without worrying about it or analyzing it."

Her eyes were closed as she spoke.

She knew she had to bite the bullet, and she knew that if she did not do it tonight then she probably never would.  
She was more than aware that she had feelings for him, but at the moment she would rather see where these feelings led her than constantly have them on her brain and be worrying about them.Draco gave her a small smile when she opened her eyes again.

"That sounds alright to me," he told her.Did she mean no strings attached? See where it takes them and then if it  
doesn't work out then it was never meant to be?  
Whatever she meant, he was glad that she had finally been able to get it out in the open.

They stared at each other for a few more minutes as the tension crackled between them within the room.

Draco suddenly felt the urge to crawl along the bed towards her and take her by surprise and smother her with kisses for no good reason, but her eyes adverted from his and looked elsewhere as a smile suddenly rose to her lips.

"Listen," she told him.

Draco did as she told him.  
"What am I supposed to be listening to?" he asked her curiously.

Hermione smiled widely at him. "Nothing."

And she was right.

Airyn was no longer screaming, and was currently sleeping off her tantrum in her crib.

"That's like music to my ears," he told the Head Girl quietly, as they both moved from the bed and walked over to peer over the top of the crib.

Her small face was finally at peace, and as she lay there in sleep, her right hand had curled itself around her ear.Hermione smiled in satisfaction.

"I like her best when she's like this," Hermione told him truthfully.

Without thinking, she put her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.Draco had to agree. She looked like a little angel when she slept. He spontaneously put his arm around Hermione's shoulder without thinking about it.  
Only after a few moments did the pair realise what position they were in, and feeling uncomfortable they both backed away a little.

But why? Hadn't they just said that they would see where it leads them?

_ 'Maybe it's too close after the conversation to tell yet,'_ Draco thought to himself.

Hermione smiled at him.  
"Thank you for tonight." She wasn't sure if she should hug him or not. They may have admitted that they had some type of feelings for each other, but they had never really expressed anything openly with intention before...

"You're welcome," Draco told her, smiling back.

They looked at each other for a few more minutes, not knowing what to do with themselves.

Draco sighed.  
"Fuck it," he said out loud, before reaching for Hermione and pulling her to him and kissing her deeply on the lips.

She wasted no time in opening up to him, feeling his tongue slip in to explore her own. She instantly ruffled his hair with her hands, as his own went down to the bottom of her back to hold her closer to him.

He couldn't get enough of this. Not since the first time.

This time it was different, however. Without realising it, Hermione had lead Draco back against one of the four walls in her dormitory. As his head slammed against the brick, he realised that the kiss was getting deeper and that Hermione was exploring more of him than she ever had before.

Her hands traveled down the expanse of his chest, feeling the muscles twitch beneath her fingertips. She took her lips away from his and went for his neck, which she found to be a very sensitive place on him as he groaned in the back of his throat.

"Christ..."

Hermione smirked.  
She never thought she would have the courage to do this, but it had suddenly come from nowhere, and she liked it.  
Her fingers had traveled lower, and before she knew it they were resting against the buckle on his belt. She felt her fingers freeze. What did she do now?

After she removed the belt there would be nothing stopping her from daring to do what she wanted to... but did she dare to do it?

Draco answered that question for her.  
Reaching down, he took her hand softly in her own, and used his other hand to turn her chin up to him to look into her eyes.  
He could feel her body tense up as she had felt the buckle between her fingers, and he instantly knew that she was not ready for that yet.  
When she was, he would be the one to teach her.

He reached down and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.  
She smiled back up at him, looking slightly embarrassed. He smiled back, as if signaling that she had no reason to feel that way.

"I'll wait," he told her, almost as if he knew what she was thinking. "When you're ready, I'll show you."

She nodded in understanding.  
And with that, realisation dawned on her that he would be her first.

In the end, it would be Draco Malfoy who would eventually take her virginity.

Slowly he let her go and moved from the wall.  
"It's late and we have classes tomorrow," he told her, almost as if he didn't want to say the words. "I should really get back to my room and get some sleep."

Hermione studied him for a moment.  
What did she do? Did she let him leave, or did he tell him that she wanted him here, with her?

"Stay," she told him in a small voice, looking slightly awkward.

Draco looked into her eyes. "You want me to stay?"

Hermione realised what it must have sounded like, and faltered.  
"No, I meant-" She drew a breath and started again. "Airyn seems to settle better when you're here with me... so if you wanted to, you could sleep in here tonight."

Draco understood.  
It was true that their child slept better when both of them were with each other... maybe it was because she sub-consciously knew that they weren't arguing.

"Okay," Draco agreed, giving her a small smile.

"I don't mean any funny business," she told him when he give her a smirk.

He shrugged with a smile on his face. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hermione took her eyes from him and looked over at the bed.  
"Well, I usually take the left-hand side, so feel free to take the right."

Draco frowned. She was letting him sleep in the bed? Well, that was something he hadn't  
counted on.

Draco chuckled. "But I also sleep on the left hand side."

Hermione, who was currently pulling down the covers on the bed, turned and  
gave him a small glare.  
"Well, you'll just have to deal with it," she told him matter-of-factly, sounding more and more like her old self again by the second.

Draco couldn't help but smile at that.  
"Yeah, I guess I will."

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

As both teenagers lay in bed that night, face to face... so close but yet not quite touching, they were undisturbed by the bright-blue light coming from the crib, glowing and throbbing.

As the bright light emitted from the tiny space, the whole room glowed in a miraculous fountain of colour, forcing every shadow into light.

They were both so tired that neither woke as the transformation took place.  
Not until the next morning, while intending to feed their young offspring did they notice anything out of the ordinary.

Gasps and amazement filled the room as they looked at a little girl.

Sitting in an upright position in her crib was a small girl with tiny blond ringlets for hair, innocently playing with her rattle and smiling up at them with her sparkling silver eyes and toothless mouth.

Airyn had become a ten month old.

TBC...


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

_'I'm Crazy.  
I'm crazy for you,  
and there's nothing that I won't do.  
I'm caught by that look in your eyes,  
and it's all for the love of you.'_

All the angry eyes in the room were trained on her. She did her best to hide her anxiety, but she was certain they could all see her embarrassment. Perhaps that would be to her favor.

"All that Professor Dumbledore and I can do is apologise for not informing you all sooner."  
She started, twiddling her thumbs slowly in front of her. "We miscalculated the transformation progress, and sadly we were just as unaware as any of you were."

"But you're supposed to be watching over us," came Lavender Brown's voice from the back of the classroom. She held her toddler in her arms, trying to remove her tiny fingers from her shiny gold necklace.

Professor McGonagall nodded sympathetically.  
"I can only apologise to all of you," she began. "There have been a few hiccups along the way with this experiment, and I have to say that thus far, you have all handled it exceptionally well."

"It's been a case of having to," Parvati piped up glumly, casting a glare in Ron's direction as he attempted to put his restless twins back into their prams before they tried to escape again.

"Be that as it may," McGonagall interrupted. "Myself and Professor Dumbledore had calculated that your children would change into toddlers exactly a week from today, which was obviously a mistake."

"Well obviously," Seamus butted in while watching Luna as she put their daughter's small stray hairs into tiny pigtails.

"This is the first time that this experiment has ever taken place within this school," the professor continued, sounding a little less sympathetic now. "We have tried to run it as smoothly as possible, but I'm afraid that we have not completely ironed everything out just yet."

Draco had to smirk at that. Damn right they hadn't ironed everything out. How would that old coot like it is she woke up in the morning, expecting to see a tiny baby sleeping in her cot, only to find an impatient toddler sitting there that really didn't like the idea of being dressed in the morning?

It had taken Hermione and him twenty minutes to put the pink dress on her; and even then, she had protested to wearing shoes and had started kicking her legs around and trying her best to crawl away from them.Still, she was as gorgeous as ever and everyone knew it.

Draco glanced down at his baby, who was currently staring around the room with those wide grey pools of hers. Every now and again she would bang on the side of her pram to get either his or Granger's attention, which seemed to scare Potter's baby, because he kept whimpering every time he heard a noise. _'What a pansy,'_ he thought with a smirk.  
Then he thought on and looked to the back of the classroom.

She sat there with Bert on her lap, his dark brown curls glued to the top of his head, as if she had somehow tried to straighten them out. The kid was trying to make a grab for Longbottom's wand, which was lying hazardously on the table. If the boy was anything like his father, then that would only spell trouble.

"Last night was torture, Professor," Hermione piped up, sitting next to Draco and trying not to make herself too conspicuous within the classroom for once.

Draco glanced out of the corner of his eye when he saw Weasley's head glance around to look at her. Draco's blood boiled. He was about to raise his voice when McGonagall spoke up once again.

"You're not alone, Miss Granger," she announced. "I suspect that most of you had a terrible night trying to calm your young ones down?"

You could say that again."It's part of the transformation," the Professor explained, perching herself on her desk. "Your child was trying to explain to you that something was going to happen."

"Couldn't she have started laughing or something?" Seamus asked again, tickling Antonia under her chin as she began to giggle. "It's a hell of a lot better than the bawling and the tantrums."

McGonagall rolled her eyes and decided to ignore that question.  
"From this point on you'll be able to notice the signs for the next transformation process, as they are much the same."

_ 'I hope to God they actually give us the right dates next time,'_ Hermione thought, looking past Malfoy and down into the pram where her beautiful girl was sitting, Airyn was minding her own business and finding out exactly why her nose had holes big enough for her fingers.

"So what now?" Draco asked her, sitting back in his seat and watching the back of Weasley's head.

No, he daren't look around when it was someone other than Hermione who was speaking.

"Now I will monitor your babies' progress, and how well you have all been coping so far," she told the class, getting up from her place on the desk and making her way to a cupboard near the entrance to the classroom. "I shall give you each one of these thermometers and you will place them into your children's mouths for five minutes."The class frowned. What was that supposed to achieve?Expecting the reaction, McGonagall continued as she made her way around the desk's. "Now, it's not technically a 'thermometer, but it has a similar purpose. Depending on the colour that the thermometer goes during the testing, is how well you are doing so far."

Anxiety set in amongst the students.  
All of them thought they had been doing rather well up to this point... but maybe the thermometer was going to prove them wrong.

"I will also need your diaries that you have been keeping, please," the teacher announced.Half of the class groaned, completely forgetting about the diaries that they were supposed to be writing in every time something worth noting happened.  
Draco was among them.  
However, Hermione clambered into her bag and withdrew a dog-eared diary likely full of information.

Had there really been that much to write about?

As McGonagall passed the table, she picked up Hermione's diary and gave her a small smile. "It looks like Miss Granger has been keeping up with her diary, unlike the rest of you."

Draco caught the girl's attention with his eyes.  
"When did you manage to write in that?" he asked her.

"Whenever I had the chance," she answered back, shrugging and smiling.

Draco picked the thermometer up from the desk.  
Crafty witch... she had bewitched it to make it look like a child's dummy.  
Therefore, Airyn had no qualms about putting it into her mouth and sucking on it avidly, looking up at her Dad with her big eyes as if to thank him for the present.

"All of the thermometers are white," Hermione whispered to him. "They must change colour when the five minutes are up."Draco was starting to panic. Maybe something had gone wrong along the way and they had started rearing Airyn badly? Then again, they had been doing pretty much what the rest of the students had been doing, so it wasn't as if they were on their own or anything...Draco looked down as a letter floated into his lap from nowhere.

Hermione was around on his other side now, picking Airyn up from the pram and making a fuss of her just so she could see that gummy smile of hers.

Draco glanced at her momentarily, before reaching down and opening the note.His anger at the words on the paper began to make him feel irrational, almost as if he should have got out of his seat and caused an uproar in the class. What he would have given at that moment to tear the bastard limb from limb.

_ I'm Sorry _

Obviously the piece of paper had never been intended to find its way into his lap.That was all that it said, and yet somehow the fury these words provoked cut Draco so deep that he felt he had to do something about it. He would be sorry; Draco would make  
damn sure of that. Who the fuck did Weasley think he was? How dare he even contemplate apologising to Granger... he didn't even deserve to talk to her.

Draco had thought that after his rational reflections last night, that he would let Hermione get on with what she wanted to do and  
let her sort it out, but this had brought it all back to him again.

"Time's up," McGonagall shouted around the classroom, stirring Draco from his thoughts. His anger continued to bubble, but that would be rectified once they were out of the classroom where he could get a good shot of the twat.The buzz around the room was one of excitement and anxiety all mixed in together.

The very colour of the thermometer would allow the Professor to know whether the students were finding the project hard or not.  
"As you will notice," McGonagall began in explanation, taking out a notepad as she jotted down the colours of everyone's thermometer. "There are three colours that the thermometer can change to."

Harry looked down from Freddie's thermometer and glanced at Airyn's with a worried expression.  
"How come we have different colours?" he asked Hermione worriedly. She shrugged.

"If you have a blue thermometer then congratulations," McGonagal applauded. "You have done everything necessary to ensure that your child is happy and you have thus far gained almost top marks for your project."

Harry beamed.  
Hermione's heart dropped.

Draco scratched his head in confusion."But ours isn't blue," he whispered to Hermione. "Ours is-"

"If you have a Red thermometer then I would give you a word of caution; buck up your ideas before you completely fail the whole project." Her words were stern and harsh. "Your relationship with each other needs to improve drastically, and you need to re-think the way you are rearing your child before either he or she grows up into an antisocial hellion."

Blaise and Lavender looked shamefaced, as did a few other couples around the room.Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. At least they weren't in that category.

"If your thermometer happens to be green, then you are neither here nor there," the Professor told the group. The majority of people were in this category, but it was not the one that Hermione thought they would be in. "Your child is happy enough, but is having a hard time deciphering the relationship between you and your partner. Also, I think a little more authority between the two of you would not go amiss."

Hermione frowned. Authority was not something that a child needed at that age.

"Rota's would be a good start, and you can also create more unity between you and your partner, so your child can see that you are a united front."

"Well, it's not so bad," Draco told Hermione, watching as everyone else seemed to be packing their things away.

"Yes it is," Hermione told him with a frown. "We still have improvements to make if we want to get a blue thermometer next time."

Draco rolled his eyes.  
The thermometer didn't matter to him anymore. So what if Airyn was a little confused? In time she wouldn't be if he had anything to do with it.

"Miss Granger, could you spare a second please?" McGonagall asked her from the front of the classroom.  
Hermione and Draco shared a glance before he shrugged and went to take Airyn out of the room with him.

"It's okay, your daughter can stay with Hermione," McGonagall smiled at him, for the first time. Strange.  
Draco nodded, obviously realising that something was going to be said about him. He left the room feeling anxious again, only to bump into someone who drained the angst from his body, and brought his temper to a blow-out.

xoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

"Is there something wrong, Professor?" Hermione asked curiously, sitting in the seat opposite McGonagall just as she had been instructed to by the teacher.

The Professor smiled. "Not at all, I was just going to check up on your progress," she answered pleasantly. "I noticed that young Airyn's thermometer was green, and I was wondering if there was anything that I could suggest to help you?"

Hermione frowned. Why was the old witch asking her and not anyone else?  
"I don't know Professor," Hermione answered, stroking Airyn's hair gently as she sat on her knee, playing with her feet. "She seems pretty happy to me, I think that perhaps me and Mal-er, Draco could possibly come up with some kind of rota, but I think we have been coping quite well so far."

McGonagall nodded her head.  
"I can see that you have both taken necessary action to keep your child happy, but to be honest I was rather expecting your thermometer to be blue rather than green."

Hermione looked shamefaced.  
"I was rather disappointed too, Professor," she admitted, smiling slightly when Airyn looked up at her mummy with her wide gummy smile, as if proud of herself for almost being able to shove her whole foot into her mouth.

"Perhaps you and Mr. Malfoy should think more about your relationship? Maybe that would help the situation a little more?"

Hermione looked up at her teacher.  
What exactly was she suggesting? The idea was simple enough, but the suggestion within her voice told Hermione otherwise... and she wasn't sure if she felt that McGonagall knew what was going on between herself and Draco.

"Just something to think about," the professor told her, standing up from her seat.

"May I go now, Professor?" Hermione asked her, taking hold of Airyn and placing her back into her pram.

"You may."

Hermione nodded slightly and left the room with the buggie.

McGonagall watched as the door clicked behind the girl. She stared at the door for a moment, lost in her thoughts. Nothing seemed out of place.Maybe Dumbledore was wrong... maybe _he _ hadn't tried to get in touch with them after all.

She was sure that if he had, then Miss Granger's face would be telling a very different story.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Hermione's head was elsewhere as she strolled along the corridor with Airyn, not even noticing the cooing from the other female students as she passed by.

What did shake her from her thoughts however, was the sight of an extremely flustered Ginny Weasley running up to her with so much pace that Hermione was certain that she was about to knock her over.

"HERMIONE!" she shouted, scaring the rest of the students. Something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked her worriedly.

Ginny nodded quickly. "It's not me, its Ron," she told her quickly, watching Hermione's walking pace speed up instantly.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked in a panic, following Ginny along the corridor.

"Malfoy," was all Ginny could manage to get out, before she started back off at a run. "Follow me!" she shouted, as Hermione started a jog, winding the stroller through the crowd as she tried to keep up with Ginny.

Hermione's heart sped up as images flashed through her mind at what she was about to find at the other end of the corridor.  
She wasn't entirely sure who her heart was beating faster for; Ron being beaten to a pulp by Malfoy, or Malfoy getting injured by Ron.

Hermione struggled to push herself through a dense crowd of people, whom all seemed to be whooping and cheering. Hermione knew exactly what she would find there. As she pushed her way through, using the stroller as defense, she came face to face with her worst nightmare:

Draco had Ron pinned to the floor with one arm, while the other hit his face repeatedly.  
Hermione looked over to see Harry being held back by Seamus and Blaise, but the fury in his eyes was apparent.

"Liar!" Draco shouted, letting go of Ron's shoulder and standing up. "How the hell do you have the audacity to stand here in front of everyone and lie like that?"

Ron pushed himself up and wiped his nose. "Fuck off Malfoy, it had nothing to do with you."

Draco took another swing at the redhead, and the two once again became involved in a heavy tussle that made them collide with the floor.

"Stop it!" Hermione shouted angrily. She pushed the pram over to Ginny in haste. "Look after her, please?"

Ginny nodded, turning the pram away from the commotion turning her attention to Airyn.

"Back off, Malfoy!" Harry almost screamed. "Ron's done nothing to you."Draco didn't listen. He was too busy seeing Weasley get the upper hand on him, as he embedded his fist into Draco's nose.

"What the hell started all of this?" Hermione demanded, looking at Harry.

"Malfoy just jumped on Weasley as soon as he laid eyes on him in the corridor," Blaise answered, seeing that Harry was in no position to talk rationally.

Hermione needn't have asked. She knew exactly what had started it.  
"Stop it, the both of you!" she screamed.

Almost as if by command, Dean Thomas and Greg Goyle made their way into the middle of the fight and pulled the lads apart. They still fought their restraints for a moment, but then stopped as they both looked upon Hermione's face for the first time.

Draco felt triumphant.  
Ron felt guilt.

"What did you think this would achieve?" Hermione asked them both quietly, almost as if they were now the only ones in the corridor.

Ron looked down at his feet.

Draco took the scenic route.  
"I beat the living shit out of this prick, so right now I think I've achieved a lot more than he has."

Hermione glared at him.  
"Why?" she asked him. "What gave you the right to beat up on my-"

Draco laughed. "Oh please, don't call him your friend."

The whole corridor murmured in speculation at Draco's words.  
Ron's face was bright red, and he could not hold his head up.

"I'll call him what I want to," Hermione told him defiantly.

"There's loads of names you can call him," Draco told her, getting angry.  
"But I prefer the term 'rapist'."

Gasps broke out. Ginny almost screamed and Harry went white.  
Hermione gave Draco a saddened look.

He was supposed to be on her side. Last night he had told her that she should forgive him, so what had changed?

"Take that back you bastard," Harry spat venomously. "You can't go around making accusations like that without being able to back them up."

"And Ron isn't like that!" Ginny protested angrily. "He would never do anything like that!"

"Let's ask Granger, shall we?" Draco announced.

All eyes turned to her.  
She closed her eyes and wished she was somewhere else. Why was he doing this to her? Did he hate her or something?

"'Mione?" Harry asked quietly, breaking her from her thoughts as she looked at him.Hermione stood in silence as the whole corridor watched her.  
Then after a few moments, her eyes came to settle on sparkling silver ones.

"He's lying," Hermione said coldly. "Ron has never touched me."

A heated debate broke out seconds later, but silver eyes never left hazel ones for a second. They remained locked throughout the commotion in the corridor... and Hermione's eyes widened in despair as Draco's became cold and placid, something which they had not been for a long time.

Did he not see that it was easier this way?  
Ron would keep his friends and Draco would live up to his usual reputation of being an arsehole... almost as if nothing had ever changed at all. She wanted to do the good thing, and if doing the good thing meant that someone would inevitably get hurt then that was the way she would have to play it. After all, she knew that Draco would be less affected by it that Ron would.

Draco averted his eyes, pulling his shoulders away from Goyle's grasp. He made to move away from the crowd and push his way out of the corridor when someone spoke up.

"You're disgusting Malfoy," came the familiar female voice. "And to think, I almost let you make love to me on boxing day."

Draco shivered.  
He turned around and glared at Parvati. It was obvious that the girl was out for revenge, so why not let her have it? Everyone else seemed to be showing their true colours today.

"Go back to whatever dick you were sucking on and leave me the hell alone," Draco replied, getting a glare from the girl.

Then she smiled.  
"It's a pity I never got round to your dick that night, Malfoy," she said in an acid tone. Ron and Harry were seething again, while Hermione bit her lip and decided that she really didn't want to listen. "If I recall rightly, you were too busy thinking about shagging Hermione Granger to actually pay any attention to someone with experience."

All eyes immediately turned to Hermione, who blushed crimson.  
This was becoming the worst day ever. She looked up at Draco, who was now staring at her with an unreadable expression upon his face.  
"Patil, a three-legged bitch with no vagina has more experience than you." A few of the Slytherin's tittered. "And besides," he looked Hermione straight in the eyes, letting her see the pain that he had tried to hide. "I liked the fantasy of rolling around in dirt with a filthy Mudblood."

Hermione felt her world crumble.

"But it's safe to say that the idea knocks me sick right now."The whole corridor stayed silent as Draco went towards Ginny Weasley and took Airyn and the stroller away from her.

She didn't say a word and let him take her. For some reason, she felt that somewhere deep inside Malfoy that he had been hurt by Hermione... she could feel it in his aura.

But why?

Hermione had told the truth about Ron, and Malfoy had been proven wrong. So why did she get the feeling that something was still amiss? She watched as Draco passed Ron by, glaring at him almost as if he could spit venom. And yet, Ron still looked at him with a sheepish look... what was really going on?

She realised as soon as Malfoy exchanged his last looks with Hermione.  
His eyes held desperation and sadness, and something that also looked a lot like betrayal. Hermione looked back at him with an identical look. And that was when she realised the truth;

Draco Malfoy was not the liar. Hermione Granger was.

Hermione felt a horrible churning feeling in her stomach as she watched Draco walk away with their baby.  
Nobody stopped him, they just let him pass without saying a word.

Once he had disappeared around the corner, everyone began to talk in whispered tones.

"Why did he lie like that?"

"Why would he even call Ron a rapist?"

"So he didn't actually shag Parvati, then?"

Ron looked relieved but still rather guilty.

Hermione glanced over at Ginny, who was openly staring at her.  
Her heart sank. Just by that one look in Ginny's eyes, she could tell that the youngest Weasley knew exactly what was going on.

Hermione could hear her friends shouting her name, but she drowned it out and pretended not to hear them.  
Instead, she slowly turned her back and walked in the opposite direction, back down the way she had come.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Draco wanted to slam the door behind him, but thought better of it with Airyn sitting quietly in her pram.  
Instead, he closed the door quietly and picked his little girl up. She quickly put her chubby little arms around his neck and put her head on the upper part of his chest.At least someone still wanted him.

Anger was still bubbling inside of him, and he was praying to God that he would calm down before he saw Granger again.Draco sat down on the couch and let Airyn continue to rest against his chest, as her hands came down from his neck and were not picking at his  
shirt, feeling the fabric. Every now and again she made a gurgling sound in the back of her throat, and gave a little giggle to herself.

For the first time in a while, Draco smiled. He kissed the top of her blond curly head and then put his head against the couch and closed his eyes.

His mind wandered back to that moment half an hour ago.

Bumping right into Weasley in the corridor had been a big mistake. The redhead had given him a disgusted look and walked off with Potter. Draco had stood there for a few moments, feeling the fury consume him until he walked blindly towards the boy and pounced on him unannounced. To say that Weasley was shocked was an understatement, but as Draco knocked him to the ground and started laying in punches, the twat got the gist of what was happening and started fighting back.

When Granger had actually shown up he thought she was going to give him some sort of unspoken 'thank you', but what he got was actually quite the opposite.  
The look in her eyes said it all, she didn't have to actually stand there and announce that Draco was a damn liar... any trust or feelings that he had for her had been put on hold from that moment.Truth be told, he had never intended on blabbing the reason for why he was beating on Weasley. He could put it down to a number of reasons, but he was well aware that the bastard would know exactly why he had done it.

What he didn't count on was Granger defending that dickhead, instead of defending the person who was actually fighting her corner. That had made his resolve snap, and therefore he ended up telling the whole story, just because he didn't want to look like the fool. He should have expected it, really.Granger didn't want a fuss about the problem, she had always made that clear.

It was obvious that she would stick up for her 'friend' rather than her... whatever Draco was to her at the moment. She wanted to live in a pretty little world where everything was _okay _and _fine_ and _fan-fucking-tastic_, and what right did he have to ruin that for her?  
Well, as far as he was concerned she could have that life, because he was washing his hands of her. She could put her friends first, above her makeshift family, what did he care?

But he did care, and that was the problem.  
The look in her eyes had burned into his brain and now he was finding it hard to get the image to disappear. It pained him to think that he had hurt her, and yet another part of him was glad that he had said what he had.

The Mudblood part had hurt her terribly, but if it made her realise what kind of a mistake she had made, then he didn't care.

_'Bitch' _he thought angrily, feeling Airyn's head plonk onto his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

_'next time she comes running back she'll have a big surprise.'_ He knew he was wrong, however.

As soon as she would appear through those doors, he knew his resolve on the situation would slip. After today, it had come to his attention that it was more than sexual attraction that he felt for her... the hammering of his heart had told him as much when she had looked at him the way she had.

It went further than lust... he could control lust and it didn't usually effect his day-to-day activities. This was something much deeper and much more serious than lust...This was mutual affection, and it scared the shit out of him.

Draco opened his eyes and glanced down at Airyn.  
Slobbering all over his shirt was usually something he would moan at, but considering it was his little girl he didn't care.  
He picked her up and went to walk towards his rooms, when something on the study table stopped him.

An envelope.

Draco looked at it curiously from a distance at first, but then his curiosity overcame him and he walked towards it.

Plain white and nothing fancy, except for the familiar writing on the front.

_Draco Malfoy  
The Head Common Room  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Draco picked the envelope up carefully and immediately turned it over, feeling the lead drop into his stomach as he looked upon the all too familiar sealed wax crest on the back.

Counting to ten and calming himself down, Draco opened the envelope and found a letter inside."No, no," Draco said playfully to Airyn as she made a grab for the letter.

"You can have _this_" he told her, giving her the envelope and watched her with a smirk as she put it into her mouth and blanched visibly when she decided that she didn't like the taste in her mouth.

Draco unfolded the letter and read the contents within.  
His blood froze as he read each word twice.

When he finally put the letter in his pocket, Draco was still in a daze. He made his way up to his bedroom without realising that his feet were moving. He then made his way over to the bed and lay back on it, taking Airyn with him.

He watched her crawl around for a few minutes, feeling the blankets underneath her fingers. She looked at her daddy with that cherub face, that gummy smile shining at him again.

Draco smiled back, but it quickly faded when he remembered what that letter had said.

Lucius Malfoy knew.

And he wasn't pleased.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

_ 'Heaven knows that you're with me now,  
heaven knows that you hear.  
I feel your breath around me now,  
all the pain disappears.  
It goes away,  
it goes away.  
And it only hurts when you cry,  
I'm only sad when there's tears in your eyes.'_

Professor McGonagall bustled down the corridor, her tartan cloak billowing around her. Once she reached the Gargoyles she immediately uttered the password and they jumped aside to accommodate her. She wore a determined expression as she wound her way up the staircase, and even as she knocked on the door to the Headmaster's office, she was sure that what she had thought would be true.

Indeed, as soon as she entered the circle stone room she met his eyes. His expression was not similar to hers however, and at that she began to falter.

"Am I mistaken?" she asked Professor Dumbledore, walking towards his desk as he sat there quietly contemplating something.

Dumbledore said nothing. Then, after a moment's silence, he nodded his head. "From the look on your face as you entered the room, I got the distinct impression that they were both safe."

McGonagall worried slightly. "As far as I could tell, Miss Granger did not seem like anything was troubling her."

"She was also mistaken," Dumbledore said quietly, rubbing his chin absentmindedly with three fingers, still in deep thought. "It would seem that word has spread."

McGonagall took a seat. "Surely not all the way to Lucius?" she fretted, hoping it not to be true.

Dumbledore didn't give an answer, he didn't need to.

"Does the young Malfoy know?" the witch asked curiously.

"I have not heard anything on Master Malfoy's end as of yet, but I can assure you that if Professor Snape has heard the news, then the young Malfoy will not be far behind."

McGonagall frowned. "But," she started, wondering if her next statement would sound crazy. "He cannot get upset about a child that isn't actually real, can he?"

Dumbledore contemplated her question. "That is possible. But then again, when an object or person gets in the way of Pureblood heritage there is no knowing what a Wizard would do to protect their family line."

"I see your point," McGonagall said quietly. "But the Malfoy name would not be under any type of threat at all, considering the project will be over by the end of term."

The Headmaster gave a little smile. "That may well be the case, Minerva." He entwined his thumbs together and brought himself forward in his seat, as he began to whisper. "But consider this, two teenagers of the opposite sex are thrown together to work on a project that will last all year round. For years they have been bitter rivals within the school...and then suddenly everything changes."

The professor frowned. "What are you suggesting, Albus?"

Dumbledore sat back again, with another smile on his face. "Mind over matter here, Minerva. These two adolescents are growing up and they are starting to see their first glimpse of the real world for the very first time...and they are experiencing it together."

McGonagall's eyes widened in shock. "Surely you are not suggesting-"

"Of course I'm not suggesting," Albus butted in, dipping his hand into a bag of sherbet lemons. "I'm implying."

Minerva started to huff. "They know the rules like every other partnership involved with the project. They know that they are no permitted to-"

"-But when one is not permitted, the temptation to do that which is out of bounds becomes all the more tempting."

McGonagall closed her eyes and thought for a minute. "If this goes wrong and they do end up having sexual intercourse, then we are going to have a lot of problems on our hands."

Dumbledore chuckled. "My dear, I do not think that you quite understand the rules properly," he told the witch in front of him. "I knew immediately that temptation would be around every corner, what with teenage hormones being twice what they were when we were that age." He saw Minerva nod her head in agreement. "Therefore, the act of sexual intercourse itself would not be enough to actually do any damage...it is only if the act involves that of love, also."

"It's all the same thing," McGonagall said matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes.

"Lust and love are completely different sides of a coin," Albus answered. "If lust were involved in sexual intercourse then there would be no harm done...the effects only take place if an act of love is committed at the same time as intercourse."

Minerva saw what the Headmaster was getting at. She smiled. "Well, that is not likely to happen between the two of them, so I do not see any problems."

Dumbledore said nothing, and it unnerved the other Professor. "Indeed," he said finally, though the tone in his voice did not match his word. He then got serious again. "But we must keep an eye on those two. If Lucius requests that young Draco and Miss Granger are to make their presence known at Malfoy Manor, then I get the feeling that we will have more than a few harsh words on our hands."

"What did Severus say about the situation?" she asked anxiously.

"He simply stated that Lucius was not best pleased by the fact that his son had been paired with a witch from a Muggle family...and was even more displeased to learn that it was Miss Granger."

"How did he manage to find out?" she asked this time, with anger bubbling within her. These old blood prejudices did nothing but unsettle her nerves.

"Apparently Theodore Nott had been telling his father all about the escapades of his final year over Christmas, and just happened to mention Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger."

McGonagall sighed. No matter how much they wanted to keep it a secret, she knew it was bound to come out sooner or later.

"So what do we do?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"We wait," Dumbledore told her determinedly. "We wait for Lucius to make the first move."

"Should we warn the couple?" McGonagall asked, getting out of her chair and walking to the door determinedly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that would be a wise move."

xoxoxoxox

The cold bit at her face until she felt her cheeks go numb. It was funny how usually she could easily recall all of the happy memories she had sitting beside the lake with Harry and Ron...but it was only now that she could not recall a single one.

For what seemed like hours, she had sat there on the wet grass beneath the oak tree just staring out at the lake and the shadows that the clouds were casting upon it. Everything outside of the castle seemed so peaceful, and Hermione was more than happy to spend as long as she could out there.

Her peace did not last long, however.

"I thought I might find you out here."

Hermione did not flinch. "Congratulations," she said quietly, not looking round at her company. "I suppose everyone was wondering where I had disappeared to?"

"No," Ginny told her casually, throwing her cloak onto the floor and sitting down on it. "No one really seems all that bothered," she answered.

Hermione frowned. Well, at least no one would bother her asking questions, if that was the case.

"I guess everyone would be more interested in Malfoy and his own disappearing act," Hermione asked, watching a few splodges of rain fall onto the seamless water, creating rings.

Ginny shrugged. "Not that I know of. I think everyone is more concerned about Ron being branded a rapist..."

Hermione winced but said nothing.

"...but both of us know that isn't true, don't we 'Mione?" Ginny asked her curiously.

Hermione knew exactly what she was getting at. The look on the girl's face from before in the corridor had said it all.

"Or do we?" Ginny asked again, prying for answers. "I know Ronald Weasley's facial expressions like the back of my hand, and I know for a fact that he looked at you with nothing but guilt in his eyes today. He's been funny since Christmas night, and hardly anyone has managed to get a decent sentence out of him..."

Hermione did not dare to turn around to Ginny now.

"Why did you stick up for him?" the redhead asked her friend quietly. "If it were me, I would have taken the matter further."

The clouds were letting raindrops fall from them now. Hermione could feel the air getting damp, and she felt the electricity of a brewing storm run through her body. "He's my friend."

Ginny snorted. "Some friend."

Hermione finally turned and looked at her. "We were drunk and I don't think he meant-"

"Doesn't make a difference," Ginny butted in. "I know he's my brother and everything, but it still gives him no right to try it on with you like that." Ginny looked at her friend for a minute, sadness rimming her eyes. "He didn't...you know..." she asked awkwardly. "He didn't actually...you know...did he?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "God no," Hermione told her defensively. "He just..." She closed her eyes momentarily and tried to block the images out of her mind. "He just kissed me and ground himself against me..."

"But he would have gone further if you hadn't have said anything?" Ginny asked her curiously.

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Did you tell Malfoy?" the redhead asked inquisitively.

Hermione shook her head, pulling her cloak around her as the rain started to fall harder, making a pleasant trickling noise against the leaves of the tree that was protecting them. "He read a letter that Ron had sent me and went mad."

"Understandable."

"I told him not to say or do anything, and he told me he wouldn't," Hermione told Ginny quickly, suddenly feeling the need to stick up for Malfoy. "But I think he just saw Ron and saw red." Hermione could not help the tiniest of smile that played on her lips after her unintentional pun.

Ginny thought for a few minutes, the cogs working overtime in her head. "Why did Malfoy care so much?"

It was not Hermione's facial expression that gave it away, and it was not her silence either...it was the colour of her crimson cheeks. Ginny did not know whether to be outraged, sympathetic or happy.

"Do you like him?"

Hermione did not know how to answer that question. She sighed and rested her head against the cool bark of the tree. "Sometimes when we're alone I see a completely different side of him that I don't think anyone ever sees...and then there are other times when he's just the same old Malfoy, just like today."

"Do you feel like there's something there?" the redhead asked her honestly, pulling up blades of grass with her fingertips.

The other girl shrugged. "Sometimes I do...sometimes I can feel something that is stronger than anything I have felt before towards any other boy." She smiled slightly. "Like when he was with me in my house, and he was so polite to my Mum and Dad...and he's so good with Airyn...I just get those good vibes from him."

"More than Krum?"

Hermione nodded slightly.

"More than Ron?"

She did not answer for a minute, but when she finally nodded her head, Ginny's eyes widened.

"So what about the times when he's not so nice?" Ginny asked her seriously. "I mean, if you two had any type of relationship then it is bound to be a rocky-"

"There's no relationship happening," Hermione told her friend with another sigh. "At least not after today, anyway."

Ginny almost gasped. "You mean there was one before today?"

Hermione looked back at the lake. The rain had decided to fall in buckets now, as a sheet of mist-like water spread all around the grounds. "Not really...We were both aware that something was there, but we didn't know what it was so we had decided to just go with the flow..."

"And how did the flow go?" Ginny asked her humoursly, earning her a grin from the Head Girl.

"I couldn't tell you," she said honestly. "But I think it's safe to say that the flow has stopped."

Ginny almost felt guilty for prying in on Hermione's new relationship with Malfoy, but she had to know. "Why did you stick up for Ron, then? You knew he was in the wrong, and you knew that Malfoy was defending you...what made you call him a liar, if you were planning on seeing what type of relationship could be around the corner with him?"

"Because friendship always comes before relationships," Hermione answered half-heartedly. "I've been friends with Ron for a lot longer than I've been...attracted? to Malfoy. If I had agreed with Malfoy then my relationship with Ron would be in tatters, like it still is... but-"

"-But your relationship with Malfoy hasn't been given a chance," Ginny told her, sympathy etched into her tone.

"There was no real base for a relationship to be tarnished with Malfoy," Hermione answered. "We hated each other for years, and I know that he would expect me to side with Ron...he's my ally."

"But what about your new relationship with Malfoy?" Ginny asked her curiously. "Would that not have taken a few knocks after all of this?"

Hermione thought about that for a minute. "If Malfoy is as serious as I think he is about taking this one step at a time, then I think he might count this as a 'two steps forward, one step back' situation." At Ginny's confused look, Hermione smiled slightly. "It's nothing that can't be mended...we're both too stubborn to actually admit we are wrong and say sorry, but I know that we can move on and forget it."

"But what if Malfoy won't let you, this time?"

Hermione watched as the lake swirled with the rain. "Then there was nothing really there at all."

oxoxoxoxo

"Did you make the appointment?"

"I have owled Dumbledore and requested an arrangement, yes."

"Has he answered you?"

"Give it time...He is aware that I may have some kind of strategy."

"Don't you always?" She put her arms around her husband's shoulders slowly from behind, bending down and resting her head against his cheek.

"Dumbledore cannot refuse me."

"You have been restless since you found out this news," she told him sadly. "I could curse Nott for telling you such ghastly information."

"I actually prayed that it was not true," he answered almost sadly. "But I cornered Severus within the Dark Lord's sanctuary yesterday and he told me everything."

"A Mudblood." The words slipped off her tongue like acid.

"Indeed..."

"I blame the Professors for the mix up."

"I just need to see it for myself to believe it," Lucius told her, stroking her right arm with his hand.

"What will you do?" Narcissa asked him quietly, purring into his ear.

The blond haired man smirked to himself.

"The only thing that seems right."

oxoxoxoxoxo

Hermione walked into the Common Room and lead instantly dropped into her stomach.

Draco was sat on the couch with Airyn. She was lying with her back on his chest, staring up at the ceiling sleepily.

Draco's head shifted slightly to acknowledge her entrance, but he said nothing. She stood there several more moments waiting for... well, she wasn't sure what. But she certainly wasn't expecting silence and apathy. Although, if he had decided to revert to his old self perhaps that's how he would react...

"Are you going to say anything?" she asked finally.

"Hadn't planned on it," he said curtly.

Hermione sighed quietly in exasperation.

"Fine," she said, hiking her book bag higher onto her shoulder and walking toward the staircase. All she wanted to do was get into a hot bath and ignore all of her worries for the time being. As she reached the foot of the staircase his voice stopped her.

"He knows," he said, loudly enough for his voice to carry across the room.

"Who knows what?" Hermione said impatiently. She really wasn't in the mood to talk about anything that had happened that morning. Then again, she wasn't in the mood to talk at all.

"My father," was all Draco said. There was a brief silence.

"Shit," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah," he replied.

"That's bad... right?" she asked.

"That's very bad," he answered.

Hermione put her bag down and went to sit in the chair across from Draco.

Momentarily forgetting that they had even argued earlier, Hermione looked at him anxiously.

"But what can he do? I mean we're inside Hogwarts' walls. He'd never be able to lay his hands on Airyn right?" she asked, suddenly very concerned.

"My father can do all sorts of things when he sets his mind to it," Draco said.

"Well what can we do about it?" Hermione asked him.

"Dobby came in earlier to tell me that Dumbledore and McGonagall want to speak to us. I would assume it's about my father," he answered.

"That's good then if they know. They'll be on guard for anything out of the ordinary," Hermione said, trying to sound confident.

"Why did you do it? Defend him?" Draco said. Hermione could have sworn she saw hurt swirling somewhere in his expression.

"Draco, please," she said, pausing at how his first name had come right off her tongue. "I don't want to get into this. I had a terrible day and I'd really just like to go to sleep."

"Sure," he said, raising his voice. "Run away from another confrontation. It's what you're best at."

"I am not running away," she said, matching his volume.

"Then tell me why you defended that fucking would-be rapist!"

"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Hermione yelled fervently. Airyn stirred from her light sleep as silence hung in the room.

"Who said it hurt me?" Draco said coldly. He gathered his baby girl into his arms and made his way to his dormitory.

"It hurt me," Hermione said quietly to no one in particular.

She wasn't sure what exactly she was referring to: the part when Draco had called her a Mudblood or when she had called him a liar.

"Meet me down here at five o'clock," she heard him shout from the stairs. "The Headmaster is expecting us."

Tears stained her face as she gathered her bag and made her way up to her room alone... completely and utterly alone.

oxoxoxoxoxo

It wasn't until an hour and a half later that Draco walked back down his dorm room stairs again, carrying a giggling little girl in his arms. As he entered the Common Room however, what waited before him made him stop dead in his tracks.

"How the bloody hell did you get in here?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Hermione is one of my best friends, there's nothing we don't share."

Draco looked at her curiously. What else could they have shared? Airyn made an adorable googling noise, breaking the electric tension in the air. Draco looked down and smiled, placing a kiss on the top of her blonde head of curls, and then set her down upon the floor.

"If you're looking for Granger, she's either upstairs brooding in her room, or terrorising some other poor sod with blinkers on."

Ginny glared for a moment, before noticing that his vocal tone did not match his harsh words. "It's not Hermione I've come to see, actually," she answered.

Draco looked over at her, whilst keeping one firm eye on the devil child whom was currently attempting to crawl along the carpet towards a rather large and dirt-filled plant pot. "Oh?" he asked, before finally giving in and taking Airyn in his arms once again, placing her on his knee. "Come to have another go at me, have you? Come to stick the knife in a little deeper?"

Ginny paid him no attention. Instead, she secretly admired the way he could so easily manage his offspring. Not that Airyn was a difficult child, but considering she had only seen Ron battling with Benny and Joon so often, it was a nice change to see a man actually having fun and sharing quality time with their child.

_ 'A man?'_ Ginny thought alarmingly. _'Since when was Malfoy considered a man amongst his species?'_

"You really love her, don't you?" she asked, smiling slightly as she watched Airyn playing with her Daddy's green and silver necktie.

Draco did not lift his head, nor did he need to answer the question. The answer was already playing out for Ginny to see.

"You know she feels terrible about what she did, don't you?"

At this, Draco's head shot up. "Why should she? It's not like we're friends or anything," he told the redhead bitterly.

"Don't lie," she said crossly. "You can't tell me that you haven't bonded with Hermione since Airyn was born?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. Airyn looked up at him with wide eyes and pulled firmly on his tie, almost as if she was telling him to tell the truth.

"Maybe," he answered finally. "But it's only for Airyn's sake."

Ginny snorted in disapproval before taking a seat across from him. "Look, I don't like you and I know you don't like me, but Hermione is in both of our lives, and if we want to keep her there then we will have to sort a few things out."

Draco glared at her. "I don't take orders from Weasleys, especially not the type who have rapists for brothers."

Although Ginny felt a desperate need to stick up for her brother, the words would not leave her mouth. Instead, she continued to stare at the blond. "What my brother did was beyond his personality. No one has ever seen that sort of behaviour come from him before, and I very much doubt-"

"Both him and Granger made a liar out of me," Draco interrupted venomously. "I don't give a shit about his behaviour or his intentions; I just want to see him punished for what he tried to do."

Ginny almost felt guilty for understanding the Slytherin. She knew he was right, and she knew that deep down she did want some sort of punishment directed towards her brother...but there had to be some other way of making him pay for what he tried to do, other than what Malfoy had in mind.

"You can defend the bastard all you want, Weasley," Draco told the girl, bouncing the toddler up and down on his knee. "But the next time I see him, he won't know what hit him."

Ginny could not help but smirk, even through the darkness of the situation. "Is all this hatred for Your benefit...or for Hermione's?"

Draco glared at her. "What do you think?" he asked. "Why should I care about her anymore? She obviously didn't see fit to even bother to defend me...I'm her child's father for bloody hell's sake!"

Ginny grinned all the more. "Maybe she wanted to defend you, but knew that her friends came first, before-"

"Before what?" Draco asked her demandingly.

"Before partners."

Draco thought the word through, keeping his eye on Ginny as she stared directly back at him.

She knew.

So what did he do? Did he put up his walls of defence and play it cool? Admit nothing and let her go away with her tail between her legs? Or did he give in and finally let an outsider into his thoughts about the utterly confusing Gryffindor girl? Maybe it was all a big plan? Maybe Weasley and Potter had sent the wench to the headquarters to get the dirt on Draco? Watch how the mighty had fallen?

"This is not a part of some big conspiracy against you, if that's what you're thinking," she told him, smirking. "I'm just a friend of Hermione's who wants to see her happy."

Draco almost snorted. "Yeah...happy...that's what she is when she's with me."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Boys...you just don't realise something when it's right in front of your face, do you?"

Draco frowned. "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"

Ginny smiled at him for the first time since he could ever remember. "That Hermione-"

"That Hermione, what?" came a voice from the far end of the room.

Both teenagers froze as they looked around, to see the Head Girl standing there with her hands on her hips, looking at them both curiously.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny said anxiously, getting up from her seat. "Malfoy said you were upstairs so I was waiting for you down here."

Hermione glanced at Draco, whose head was lowered as he played with his little girl's tiny fingers. "Sorry Ginny, you should have just come up the stairs, I was writing in those baby journals."

Ginny smiled sheepishly. "I can't even remember what I came to ask you, to be honest," she told the Head Girl hesitantly. "I...er. I'll go back to the common room and catch up with you later, if I can remember what I was going to say."

Hermione nodded, not at all convinced of her friend's answer. Something was definitely going on.

"See you later, Ginny."

As Ginny said her goodbyes and escaped through the Common Room entrance, Hermione glared down at Draco.

"It's almost five; we should be going to see Dumbledore."

Draco looked over at her. "Yeah...he'll be expecting us anytime now."

He watched as Hermione walked straight past him, her hair flowing from side to side. She held an air of a woman truly aggrieved, and against his better judgement, and against everything that made him who he was...he called her name.

She turned on her heel and looked directly at him, her eyes like steel.

Draco faltered for a moment, having realised that he had called her name out loud and that he actually had not prepared anything to say to her...saying anything less than what he felt like saying right now would probably make her hate him all the more.

"Look," he began, changing Airyn from each arm nervously. "I've had some time to think about it, and I've realised that for you, friends come first."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

Draco sighed in defeat. "With a little help."

Hermione turned to walk away from him, but he hastily grabbed her arm. "Hang on," he told her, trying to prepare his words better. "This really isn't easy for me to say, and you're not making it any easier." He held onto her wrist as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Hermione stopped her pulling and looked him dead in the eyes.

"I'm sorry for practically telling the whole school about what happened, and I'm sorry for making you feel like you were stuck in the middle." He took a deep breath. "But I got so angry because he was getting away with something that can be punished."

Hermione put her eyes on Airyn. "He will be punished enough by having to remember what he tried to do for the rest of his life. I will remember, and so will he...that's enough punishment for the both of us."

Draco wanted to understand, he really did. But he really was not like these Gryffindor's...all with their feelings and their contempt...for Slytherins, you paid for your actions through punishment...it was the Slytherin way.

"It doesn't take away the hurt of what you called me, though," Hermione told him quietly, looking up at him again.

Draco felt guilty. He didn't feel it very often, and that was why he despised it all the more. "I didn't mean it," he admitted. "I think you know how I feel about you by now."

He could feel her eyes on him.

"Yes, I do."

Draco looked up at her. Those eyes of warm honey that had now softened towards him. "Do you still feel the same way about me?" he asked her timidly.

Hermione took her time to answer, mulling the question over in her head. Did she still feel the way she felt? Even after he had made a fool of her in front of the whole of Seventh Year? Even after he called her all those names? And even after she had seen him standing there in front of her, guilt written all over his face...as if somehow he had finally begun to understand exactly who she was?

Her answer came as a whisper, one that Draco almost did not catch.

"I'll show you tonight."

oxoxoxoxoxoxo

**A/N:**

**Chapter 32 coming soon folks!!!!!!! (sorry about the horrible delay...i apologise massively, and hope you will all forgive me and carry on reading!!!!).**

**Also; I'm sure plenty of you on the LJ for Dramione are probably aware that the Dramioneawards have started again for round 3!!!**

**Its a brilliant opportunity to nominate your favourite fics for awards that you think they deserve (I have been nominated myself in the 'Family Matters' Category...but at the end of the day, i have no illusions about actually winning anything, its just nice to take part :) ). The brilliant stories that are out there at the moment deserve some recognition, so if you have the chance, head on over there and take a look at what's on offer!!!!!**

HttP://community[dotlivejournal[dotcom/dramioneawards/16915[dothtml#cutid1

**This takes you to the pending page where you can see all the fics that have already been nominated into categories...obviously you may have to write the actual address in though...because we all know that you cant post links on lol.**

**Thanks for reading, guys!!!!!**

**MORE TO COME SOOON!!! I PROMISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

xxxxx


	32. Chapter 32

** Chapter Thirty-Two**

_Adia,  
I do believe I've failed you.  
Adia,  
I know I've let you down.  
Don't you know,  
I've tried so hard to love you in my way.  
It's easy to let go_

The walk to the headmaster's office had been the longest and most mentally demanding treck that Draco had ever made in his short life.

What sort of conversation was supposed to transpire between two people who were talking to eachother, but yet still awkwardly avoiding each other's presence?  
What were they supposed to talk about? The weather? Slytherin's current lead on Gryffindor for the House Cup?

He thought this sort of stuff was supposed to be easy for him...and yet for some reason, he was completely and utterly tongue-tied and unable to say anything that he wanted to.

_'Women'_ He thought to himself with a sigh.  
She was the only one that left him unable to think properly, like some kind of drug that took over the senses. And after what she had said to him on the way out of the common room that they shared together, he was afraid that their situation was no longer in his hands.

No.  
Hermione Granger was officially in control of the whole cherade, and Draco knew that with her unpredictable nature that she was sure to take him places that he was certain that he may not want to go.

**_ ' I'll show you tonight'_**

That sentence was either a lifeline or a deathwish.  
Was there something significant that she felt she needed to share with him? Was she about to share her feelings and go all girly on him?

_ 'Hell no...Hermione Granger doesn't do the 'girly' thing...'_  
Or was this all some kind of trap to get him back for the ruption that he had caused earlier today?

Draco shuddered at the thought.

The last thing he needed was for Granger to start playing mind games with him...that really would send him over the edge.

Hermione looked over at the blonde haired boy sitting next to her on an identically plush leather chair like her own.  
He hadn't really looked at her much since they had arrived in Dumbledore's office, at the moment he seemed more interested in staring at the large pine desk infront of them.  
Maybe what she had said had put his mind into overdrive?

Well, in that case he really wasn't the only one.  
_ 'What the hell did you have to go and say that for, you stupid cow?'_

She almost winced at the name that her brain had called her.  
Those words she had spoken were never supposed to actually be released from her mouth, but yet somehow she managed to blurt them out...and now she was contemplating that Draco would be expecting something from her.

Would it be a bad thing if he was? And even if he was expecting something, it wasn't as if she actually gave him a clue as to what she was going to show him...She could think of a few things, ofcourse.

Her foot kicking his arse would be one thing...but she didn't feel the need to beat him to a bloody pulp anymore.  
Not after what he had said to her in the Common Room.  
But saying that, was it possible that he could still be angry with her for selling him out for her friend?

Hermione glanced over at him again.This time, he glanced over at her too.  
He held her eyes for a split second, before smiling slightly and looking away.

Hermione frowned.  
Did arguments just roll off his back so easily?  
Okay, so they had kind of sorted it out.  
Things had been said...many things that were not said with the spoken word...he didn't seem irritated with her -

"Ouch!"

Draco glanced around at her, trying to stifle a laugh.

"No, no baby...let go of Mummies hair"

Airyn's cherub face smiled gummily as she tugged harder on Hermione's curls, closing her fingers around the tips and pulling them down to see them up close.

"A little help here would be nice" Hermione told Draco irritably, her head bent over as her fingers tried to prize Airyn's hand's out of her mane of hair.  
Draco would have very much liked to of sat there watching the spectacle all night, but by the sound of Hermione's voice he was sure that if he sat there watching any longer, then he would have been on the recieving end of a vigorous kick up the arse.

_ 'Is this what its come to? Am I really under the dicisively large thumb of Hermione Granger?'_

Shaking that thought from his head, Draco stretched over Hermione's chair and lifted Airyn into the air gently, making her giggle and instantly let go of Hermione's locks.

As Hermione straightened out her hair, and Draco tossed his baby into the air, the door to the Office finally swung open.  
Both teenagers looked around to find a rather sullen looking Professor Dumbledore, and an equally glum looking Professor McGonagall standing before them.

Something told Hermione that this did not bode well at all.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"I think you know why you are here" Dumbledore told them, his voice solem and his eyes no longer holding that famous trademark twinkle.

"Are we in as much danger as I'm guessing?" Hermione asked the headteacher quietly, watching out of the corner of her eye as Malfoy's chinrested upon their daughters curly head.

"He's a man, not a monster" Draco answered her, his voice unusually monotone.

"You know as well as I that you can never put anything past Lucius" Hermione almost bit back.

"He may be a bastard, but he's my father" Draco tossed back, feeling a little angry about both defending his father and also feeling the need to ridicule the man himself.

"Please " Dumbledore interrupted, seeing the spark of anger suddenly appear in Miss Granger's eyes. "Although this may be a potentially dangerous time for you both, I sincerely doubt that the solution will be arguing amongst yourselves"

Hermione frowned.  
"How much of this do you know?" She asked curiously.

"As much as I have been able to find out, Miss Granger." Dumbledore answered

"Are we in life threatening danger, Sir?" Hermione asked him almost immediately after his sentence had ended.

The Headmaster looked at the young adult from over his halfmoon spectacles.  
He recognised the tell-tale signs within her immediately; He knew that she was already thinking of ways to protect her 'child'.

"As of yet, nothing can be certain" He answered honestly.

"This is ridiculous" McGonagall interrupted from the corner of the room. "I do not understand how a high member of society can get so offended about a school proje-"

Hermione and Draco shot her death-defying glares simultaneously from across the room.

And that was when they realised just how much trouble they were in.  
Both teenagers looked down at their daughter; sucking her thumb and wriggling around on Draco's knee, trying to decide whether she wanted to try and pull herself up into the standing position, or whether she was perfectly fine where she was.Airyn was a project.

That was the basic fact of the matter...she was not meant to grow past four years old.  
One day they would both wakeup and their baby would disappear from their lives.How were they supposed to live with that?

"Lucius is thinking of his heritage" Dumbledore continued, breaking both Hermione and Draco from their own thoughts.  
"He is worrying that word will spread about your 'project' together...he seems to have the idea that both of you will form some kind of relationship with one another...he worries about his pureblood reputation"

Draco sighed heavily.  
He knew that factor would come into it somewhere.  
But what was the point in his father worrying about something that would never cause him any harm?

"I think he plans on doing whatever is necessary to stop the project"

Draco shook his head.  
"Stop saying 'project'...this is not what its about anymore"

"This is exactly what it is about, Mr Malfoy" The older witch cut in once again.

Draco looked around at her.  
"No...its about a child, Professor"

Professor Dumbledore closed his eyes for a few moments. Whatever he was thinking about never showed upon his face, but when he opened his eyes once more, he looked upon the two teenagers sadly.  
"Whatever your feelings for your father, Draco...please put them aside for a moment"

Draco nodded reluctantly.  
His relationship with his father was hostile at the best of times.  
They acknowledged eachother, and were often within eachother's company...but they were never really 'there' with eachother.

"If Lucius plans on disrupting the project, then the only way for him to physically do this is by getting rid of all evidence that the project ever existed"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly, and her left hand instinctively reached over and started to stroke Airyn's soft, curly hair.

"He wouldn't kill a child" Draco told the Headmaster in a quiet but angry voice.

"But he does not see young Airyn the way that we all do" The old Wizard answered calmly. "He sees the child as nothing more than a black mark against his Pureblood record"

"He's right" Hermione stated, suddenly finding her voice. "He will find a way to get to Airyn"

"Hogwart's is protected by all sorts of charms, though" Draco argued back at everyone. "My Father may be good with the Ministry, but he's not clued up enough to think that he can get in here without being undetected"

"He does not have to be undetected...Your Father is part of the Ministry for Magic, Mr Malfoy...he has the right to access this School if he feels the need to"

"Can't you stop him?" Hermione asked, keeping her eyes on Airyn.

"Not without drawing attention to the fact that we know what he is upto" Dumbledore answered.

"Does it matter that we know?" She asked again, sounding confused now.

"It does if we want to makesure that we are aware of what Lucius is upto at all times" McGonagall told the girl.

Silence consumed the room.  
All that could be heard for a few short moments was the little groans of boredom coming from Airyn.

"What do we do?" Draco asked, finally breaking the deafening silence.

Dumbledore closed his hands together and rested them upon his desk.  
He was aware that he had little else left to do for the trio.

"We send you into hiding"

Hermione's head shot up to stare blankly at the Headmaster.  
Draco instinctively drew Airyn closer to him.

Both teenagers glanced sideways at eachother momentarily, before their eyes met with Dumbleedore once again.

"Myself and Severus have arranged a temporary hideaway for the three of your to continue with the project without the fear of Lucius finding out where you are"

"Outside of Hogwarts?" Hermione asked worriedly.  
It all sounded very risky.

"Yes" Dumbledore answered, nodding at the girl. "Somewhere that Lucius would never think to look"

Draco frowned.  
"Where is this place?"

Dumbledore put his finger to his lips slowly.  
"Ah...I am afraid I cannot convey that information, Mr Malfoy...I can only say that all three of you shall be taken there tomorrow morning"

"After breakfast?" Draco prompted again.

"No..I am afraid that under the circumstances, we cannot wait that long" Dumbledore answered the boy honestly. "You shall be collected from your common room tomorrow morning at Four am, and from there you will be taken to your destination."

Hermione's head was in a whirl.  
How long were they going to be hiding away for? What were her friends going to think about her just disappearing?

"What about Harry and R-" She glanced over at Draco, who winced momentarily but then regained his anxious posture. "-On. What do I tell them?"

"Tell them nothing for now" McGonagall told Hermione. "When Myself and Professor Dumbledore feel it is safe for them to know, we will inform them and allow a point of contact"

Hermione visibly relaxed a little.  
Atleast her friends would be notified eventually.

"So what do we do from here?" Draco asked curiously, hoisting Airyn up onto his shoulder as her head buried itself into his neck.

"You can go to your common rooms and pack your necessities" McGonagall told them directly. "Do not worry about the crib and the other baby facilities...we will send them over to you as soon as you arrive at your new location"

"Are we to stay in this new location for the rest of the project?" Hermione asked them curiously.

Dumbledore looked solemnly at her.  
"You will reside there until all three of you are out of unnecessary danger"

Somehow, that made Draco feel ten times worse.

Dumbledore signalled that the meeting had come to a close.

Both teenagers stood from their seats and made their way over to the door.

"Professor Snape will be collecting all three of you from your quarters at approximately three forty-five am" Dumbledore told the couple as they opened the door to step outside. "From there you will be taking a form of travel to reach your destination"

The head students nodded briefly, before glancing at eachother momentarily and exiting.

"Why did you not tell them about your meeting with Lucius?" McGonagall asked a few moments later, after checking that the students were out of sight.

Dumbledore contemplated the answer for a moment.

"What they do not know will not harm them"

"Is he planning on asking you to stop the project?" She asked him curiously.

"I assume so" The Headmaster. "But on the other hand, it could be a chance for Lucius to do some searching"

"You mean; he wants to seek the project out?"

From the look in Dumbledore's eyes, the witch got her answer.

"But Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger will be safely out of harms way by then" Dumbledore assured her. "They will be able to see the rest of the project out safely"

McGonagall nodded, but did not feel quite as positive as the Headmaster.

They were treading on thin ice...and it was only a matter of time before theybroke through.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"How much do I put into my trunk?"

"Not too sure...enough to last you, I suppose"

"How much do you think that will be?"Hermione sighed and looked over at Draco.

"I have no idea...just pack everything I guess"

Men...incapable of doing even the most simplest of things.

Hermione had packed hours ago...now it was just a waiting game.  
Neither she nor Draco had spoken much to eachother on the way back to their common room. Ofcourse; there was plenty to talk about, but on the whole the both of them felt more unprepared than ever to discuss the situation.

But there would be plenty of time to talk about things once they were in their hideaway...with only themselves for company. Around eachother every second of everyday...no escape from eachother...no escape from their emotions...feelings...confrontation...tension...

_ 'Get it together, Hermione!'_ she berated herself. _'At the end of the day, it will atleast give you both the chance to clear the air and say your peace...'_

"This is stupid" Hermione heard the boy mumble as he walked up the stairs once again.  
She could tell he had been pacing in his room. His hair was disheveled as his hands had ran through it, and she could see dark shadows under his tired eyes.

"Is Airyn asleep?" Hermione asked him from the bottom of the stairs.

"Shes out like a fairy-light" He whispered down the stairs at her. He then came back to the foot of the stairs and threw a few garments down them.

"Watch out"

Hermione jumped back; the offending garments about to hit her directly in the face.

"I can't see why you didn't just pack them in your room?" She asked him, sounding annoyed.  
Draco shrugged as he carried a few books in his arms, gliding down the stairs.

"I'm rubbish at packing"He wasn't wrong.

Hermione could only stare in disbelief as she watched the blonde haired boy throw things into his trunk carelessly, scrunching t-shirts into tiny balls and not caring where they landed.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked him, now getting thoroughly annoyed with his behaviour.

"I told you I was rubbish at packing" He answered as he threw his books ontop of the mangled pile in the trunk. "I've never really had to do it myself, never had the patience for it"

"You're hopeless" She told him desperately, almost feeling sorry for the scrunched up clothes within the trunk as he closed the lid in an attempt to flatten everything further.  
He looked at her and smirked for the first time in a while.

"Does it make you want to help me?"She knew exactly what he was trying to do.

She wasn't a fussy person; but some things needed doing properly...like potions needed to be draughted...and spells needing the right incantation. Yep; clothes definitely needed to be folded.

"You're unbelievable" She told him haughtily, before shooing him from the top of the trunk and setting about the task of tidying it properly.

"I've been told that a few times, to be honest" He told her, picking at his fingernails. "But none of those times have been in this type of situation"

Hermione didn't answer, but she rolled her eyes at his comment.

There was a moments silence.

"What were you going to show me, Hermione?"

She instantly whipped her head round to look directly at him.

What had caught her off guard? The fact that he had got straight to the point? Or the fact that he had called her her real name, without being prompted?

Draco studied her momentarily.  
He wasn't quite sure what had made him say it...possibly the fact that they had ran out of conversation since the girl had given in and was now re-packing his trunk. Did he say thankyou now, or later?

Sure; he was thinking about what she had said earlier on tonight What sort of seventeen year old boy didn't think about a sentence that was so full of unanswered questions?  
He had honestly never thought about anything so much before in his life...besides sex, anyway.

Silence encased the room like ice; echoing around the walls, bursting into eardrums.

Hermione broke the eye contact and turned around.  
If she carried on packing then maybe the conversation would go away?

No.  
It suddenly made Draco more determined than ever.  
Grabbing the conversation by the balls, he gave it one last shot.

"Is this another one of those times where you say something, and then I end up being the one in the dog house?"Hermione sighed.

"No" She answered him quietly.

Ah, good.  
Atleast she was actually giving him a response.

"So...are we only good when we're not actually talking about _ 'Us'_ ?" He asked, making quotation marks with his fingers around the 'Us' part.

Hermione slowly turned to face him again."It's not that" She answered, putting her face into her hands and rubbing her temple with her fingertips. "We've gone on like this for so long...I guess I just don't know how else to really act around you" She told him truthfully.

Draco was taken back by her statement.  
She could see it in his eyes. She knew that deep down however, that he was probably feeling the same thing.  
"Do I really put you on edge that much?" He asked her curiously.

Hermione got to her feet and stepped towards him slowly.  
"It's just so hard when things keep happening to us...it's like taking one step forward, only to be pushed back two steps each time."

"Are you talking about you and me? or doing this Proj-" He winced visibly at his own words, "- looking after Airyn?"

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say.  
"Everything" She admitted honestly.

Draco looked at her, not really knowing how to go about answering her honesty.  
He knew exactly what she was talking about.  
It was like going round in one big circle...everytime they made a little progress with eachother and Airyn, there was always something there to drag them back again.

"There's nothing we can do about it" He told her truthfully.

Hermione looked at him, her eyes clouded with an emotion that he couldn't quite pinpoint...was she upset?

"I just feel-"

"-Trapped?" He finished for her.

They both nodded and smiled slightly at eachother  
.Hermione watched as he stepped closer to her; goosebumps unconsciously appearing upon her skin.

"I don't like the way that everything just seems to keep getting harder for me" She told him, trying to ignore the fact that he was only a few inches away from her.

"Well, it's not exactly a walk in the park for me either, you know" He answered with a sarcastic tone to his voice. "Alot of shit has happened over these past few months...and alot more is about to happen now, too"  
Draco wasn't quite sure if he liked where this conversation was going.  
He knew that as always; they would have something important to discuss...but they were getting in deep already, and he wasn't too sure how much further he would be willing to go.

"Do you think we will ever get the chance to try and live like a normal family by the end of this project?" She asked him with a sigh.Draco looked at her strangely.

Family? ...  
The word felt fuzzy and warm when he thought about it. How strange that such a familiar word could have such a strange effect on him.That was when he realised.

_ 'Bloodyhell...when did I turn into a man?'_

A Man.

The word associated with a male who was making his way in the world...a grown up boy who had to start making decisions...making hard decisions.

Like what they had to do if their family was in trouble.  
Draco smiled to himself.

He stepped closer to Hermione once more, and she felt her breath hitch when she felt him brush past her.  
He closed the lid on his trunk and sat down. He then looked up at her with a small smile and motioned for her to sit down next to him.She moved slowly, but not anxiously. She no longer dwelled on what she should and should not be doing around him anymore.  
It felt more natural sitting next to him, than it did to sit next to another Gryffindor besides Harry, Ron or Ginny ... how things had changed.

"I think we both knew that it would never be easy" Draco told her casually. "I mean, lets face it; we were the two most ill-suited people to be put together for a school project...but overall? I think we've handled it pretty well" He turned his head to look at her and smirked.  
Hermione nodded in agreement.

"You were a complete and utter arsehole in the beginning-"

"- Watch it." He butted in, but Hermione could hear the humour was clearly etched within his tone.

Hermione nudged him playfully with her shoulder.  
"You can't deny it" She answered him as he nudged her back, that smirk still on his face. "But then again; I wasn't exactly the Queen of politeness, either"

"It's just the way we are" He said matter of factly. "From day one we were supposed to be two people who never got along"

"Says who?" She asked him stubbornly. "I only started hating you when I found out what a stuck up tight arse you were...and how much of a horrible bastard you were to me because of my-"

"-Blood?" He finished her sentence.  
He looked at her again, watching her facial expressions. "That is all our differences have ever been about"

Hermione gave him a look.  
"You're just getting this now?"

"Pipe down, know it all" He answered mockingly. "Everything is about blood...it defines who we are...our status in the world" He took his eyes away from her. "Atleast, that's what I used to think it was about"

Hermione carried on looking at him.  
"And now?"

He shrugged, but still didn't look at her.  
And now what? What was he supposed to say to that?  
He wasn't supposed to be thinking like this at all; but he was. Is this what happened when you let someone in?  
Did all of your views and opinions come crashing down like walls caving in around you?

"And now?" He said finally, sighing. "I don't even know where my blood ties lie, anymore"  
And it was true.

Did he side with the man who had raised him?  
The man who had been his idol since he was a small boy?

Or did he side with his makeshift family?  
His halfblood daughter, and her Muggleborn Mother?

He knew the answer to that question within the second he had thought it.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both lost within their own thoughts.He was the first to break it.

"Did we just have our first grown up conversation, without resorting to death threats and name calling?" He asked sarcastically.

Hermione gave a small laugh.  
"I guess you can be a normal Boy, when you want to be"

He shrugged again and then looked over at her.  
"Maybe I've just given up being what people expect me to be" He told her in a quiet voice, looking into her eyes. "Maybe I think it's about time I started being the man I'm supposed to be"

Hermione smirked at him, still keeping eye contact.  
"Where did your sudden spout of wisdom come from?"

He chuckled.  
"Maybe it's always been there, but I've never used it?"

Hermione almost snorted.  
"Oh please. Draco Malfoy? Have infinitive wisdom and NOT use it to try and put me down in some way or another? ... give me a break" She chuckled.

He showed her the white of his perfect teeth as he half-smiled at her.  
"I'm actually quite intelligent when I want to be" He told her proudly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh, I don't doubt that"

"But that's not the point" He continued. "The point is that I'm intelligent enough to know if we want to keep both ourselves and Airyn from being found, then we have to concentrate on doing what we have to do to keep ourselves safe"

Hermione was gobsmacked.  
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Draco Malfoy?" Did he see his father as much as a threat as she did?

He rolled his eyes.  
"I know what he's capable of, that's all" He told her, as if answering her thoughts. "He's my Father, and I do respect him...but some of his morals are wrong" He looked over at her. "I followed his words for years; thinking that if I lived a certain way, then I could never be put down, or made to feel less than I was...but nothing ever works like that"

"But he's hurting you by wanting to hurt Airyn" Hermione told him sadly. "How could you respect-"

"Because he's my Father" He answered. "I've told you this before...he can be a bastard...but he's still the man that raised me"

Hermione wasn't sure what she could say back to the sentence.  
She could hear the tinge of sadness within his voice. She knew he was torn.

"But that doesn't mean that I want to be like him"

Hermione understood.  
Not only was he realising that he had been living a certain way for many years...but he was also learning that if he wanted to move forward with his life, then he had to learn that he could not control everything that went on around him, unlike his Father who could dictate and manipulate so many people.  
But the best thing about it? ... He was admitting it all to her.

"She told me that she wants to see you happy" Draco told her suddenly, sliding away from the subject.

Hermione frowned in confusion. What the hell was he going on about now?  
"Who told you?"

"The red head" He answered casually. "She came to see me today because she doesn't like to see you looking miserable...said something about you needing to be happy"

Hermione gave a small smile.  
"Well, yes. I would like to be happy every now and then"

Draco gave a snigger.  
"Wouldn't we all" He answered. "But forced me into thinking something that I don't think I've actually thought about before"

Hermione was listening intently now.  
Not only was it strange that they were talking about Ginny, but it was even stranger that they were talking about Ginny, AND the fact that Draco had actually listened to what she had said.

"Go on" She prompted casually. She didn't want to rush him, she needed him make him tell her in her own time.

"This whole thing with that Dick-" He glanced at her and saw the small glint of annoyance appear in her eyes. "-with Weasley" He corrected. "Sure, I'm beyond pissed off at him for what he tried to do to you-"

"-We've been over this" Hermione sighed, finally getting up from the trunk and standing infront of the boy.

He stood too, matching her gaze.  
"Just hear me out" He told her impatiently. She crossed her arms over her chest as he continued.

"Even though what he did was wrong and unforgivable in my eyes" He took a deep breath. "My anger comes from the fact that I wasn't there to protect you"

Hermione's eyes saddened. He felt the need to protect her?

"You're Airyn's Mother" He told her as an afterthought. "I need to protect anyone connected with her"

She understood, but was sure that at sometime or another he was bound to understand his true reasons for protecting her...it was so clear for her now; she just had to wait for him to catch up.

She kept looking into his eyes, then she suddenly quirked an eyebrow.  
"And you only realised this after a conversation with Ginny?"

Draco went silent.

"Well?" She asked him impatiently.

He shrugged and looked over at the fireplace; deciding that he didn't like to look into her eyes when she knew she was getting the better of him.  
"She might have said a few things that pointed me in the right direction, yeah." He told her stubbornly. "Nothing that she can gloat about, though...I got there in the end, didn't I?

"Hermione gave him another small smile.  
"While we're on the subject of Ginny, and while we're coming clean." She started; no time like the present. Taking a deep breath to prepare for her next sentence. "What you did to me today in the corridor was wrong"

Draco lifted his head and went to speak.

She got there first.

"No, let me have my say, now." She warned him. "You were right with what you said before; you had no right to announce my problems to the school. You made a fool of me, and you made me feel like crap for the rest of the day"

Draco said nothing.

"I know that you feel you have to protect me, you have made that pretty clear from our last conversation." She reminded him with a small smile. "But you have to let me sort out my own problems"

He shrugged.  
"Fine" He told her after a moments silence. "From now on, you can sort yourself out"

"Thankyou" She told him honestly, taking a step closer to him but not knowing what she should do next.

He studied her face for a moment, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"So" He started.  
"Back to where this enlightening conversation began..."

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"What were you going to show me?"

Hermione had completely forgot, and if the look on her face was anything to go by, she was about to panic.  
She had nothing to show him, or did she? Had she learned nothing from their conversation tonight?

"What happened to you letting things go?" She asked him; a small pout appearing on her lips.

Draco stepped closer to her, looking her small and fragile frame up and down.  
Hermione recognised that look...she liked that look.

"I only let things go when I feel they've run their course" He told her quietly, still inching towards her until she could practically feel him touching her.

"Smart arse" She giggled slightly, looking up at him as he closed the remaining gap.

"Oh, I can be smarter than that, Hermione" He told her, biting his lip as he looked at her. "If you want me to show you?"

She didn't say a word.

She looked into his eyes and was mesmorised by the colours that she saw swirling around.  
She felt his breath on her face as he leaned towards her, his lips meeting her right ear.

"Just say the word" He whispered.

It was amazing how sensual he could be, when he wasn't even touching her.

"Yes" She breathed.

It didn't take long for Draco to have her in his arms; he loved the feel of her small frame touching his own.  
Her mouth was inviting and her hair had a scrunchy texture to it that made his fingers crave contact. His mouth covered hers soundly as their tongues fused together passionately; a battle of wills.

Hermione wasn't sure how they had got there; but she suddenly found herself being pushed backwards onto the couch.  
His body was ontop of hers in seconds, covering her in lean muscle and feathery light kisses across her face.  
She knew that he was resting between her legs. He hadn't pushed them apart; they had simply been positioned that way as she fell, and he had fallen into them.

The kisses got more heated as Hermione found herself gasping for air more frequently, and she was sure she could hear a few low groans escaping from Draco's lips. He tasted delicious, but his lips weren't the problem.

His hand's could not get enough of her.  
One was currently twisting her hair between its fingers, whilst the other one was outlining the curve of her breast.  
She faught the urge to curve her body upwards to feel more of his warm hand, but it was no good...she needed to contact more than ever before.

"Been so long" He told her through rugged breath, his fingertips starting to squeeze her left breast.

She moaned in reply.  
Feeling that familiar tingle from the heated pleasure, she surged her hips upwards, only to have her breath quicken as the friction increased tenfold.

Draco had obviously felt it too; his left hand was now allowing it's fingertips to draw tiny circles around the fabric where her nipples could be found.

She bucked upwards again.  
It felt too good...god knew what the actual thing would feel like.  
Draco lifted his lips from her neck and began to open the buttons on her blouse.  
He raised his eyebrow a little at her when he noticed the hot pink bra underneath...he never imagined her to wear something so...saucy? But that didn't matter now. What mattered was the breast hidden beneath the fabric...the breast that he had just uncovered and was now enjoying the view of.

Hermione almost yelped when she felt his lips cover her nipple.  
From their first experience at this, she was aware that she really liked the feel of his lips working their magic in that particular place...but she was caught off guard as she had forgotten just how good it felt.  
He could hear her groaning.

He loved that sound...it made him feel powerful. He instinctively ground his hips against hers, making sure she could feel every inch of his erection, which was growing in size with every glutteral moan from her lips.  
As his lips worked her breast and his hips worked her groin, Hermione was helpless to stop the pressure she could feel growing.  
Was it possible to orgasm without having to touch your most sensitive parts?  
How was she to know?

What she did know was that her legs had unconsciously widened, and now they were wrapping themselves around Draco's hips. She could feel his hand leave her hair, only to travel down her body and rest at her outer thigh. She felt him hoist her right leg higher beside him, until it was almost reaching her chest.  
Then he brought his hips forward, directly to the one place that she needed it.

"Oh God..." She moaned quite loudly, before bringing the pillow from behind her head and covering her face with it.  
She held it there for a second before Draco removed it.

"No" He told her; the look in his eyes almost animalistic. "I want to see your face" She dropped the pillow onto the floor instantly, and reached up to bring his lips to hers bruisingly.

She let her groans escape into his waiting mouth as he continued to flick his thumb over her nipple, whilst grinding himself against her.She needed more.

"Mr Malfoy? Miss Granger?"They both froze momentarily.

They looked at eachoter for a few moments, before realising that there was actually no one there in the room with them. Both of them jumped up quickly, still in a daze from their explorations a few seconds ago.

"Ye-yes?" Hermione answered finally, looking around frantically as if she should have been acting like she needed to be done something inconspicuous.

"I'm here to collect you both" The familiar drone of Professor Snape came through the Common room door.

"I suggest you get your things immediately and meet me in the corridor.

They looked at eachother again.

That look of 'Why now?' spread across their faces.

"We'll be there in a minute" Draco answered, finally giving Hermione a small smile.

Hermione returned the smile, and then went to walk past him to collect Airyn who was still sleeping in his room.  
He caught her wrist as she walked past.

"This isn't finished" He promised her with a smirk, looking down at her school shirt...open for all to see her exposed breasts.

She didn't care.  
"Count on it" She answered him with a coy, sultry smile.

He could have cursed Snape.  
Talk about bad timing.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

**A/N:**

**Thankyou to everyone who has kept reading:)**

**Hope you're still following the plot of the story lol! ... it will get more easily complicated, i assure you ;) hehe.**

**A reviewer said that you can't get to the dramioneawards page from the link i set up...sooo...**

**http://community[dotlivejournal[dotcom/dramione[underscoreawards/**

**If you replace the [dot with actual dots, and an underscore, you should be taken to the awards sight, where you can view all of the brilliant fics that have been nominated on the official nominees page! **

**The categories have some AMAZING fics in them. The category that The baby project is nominated in: 'Family Matters - best story with a baby' has ALOT of fierce competition lol!**

**So I say that you go in there and vote for the stories that you have been taken in by, whatever they may be!!!!**

**Thanks for hanging in there with me on this one!!!**

**Shellie**

**xxx**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Beta'd by MysticPurple for your viewing pleasure...she's my own personal spellcheck...aren't I lucky?? :P**

**Oh...and we're nearing the end people...hold on tight!!**

**ENJOY!!**

**Chapter Thirty Three**

_Because I told you, you would live to regret it,  
and now I don't wanna make you feel bad.  
But when it comes to me just forget it,  
I'll be the best you never had.  
You put me through so many emotions,  
Now baby it's your turn for that.  
'cause in your empty heart I left a mark,  
The best you never had._

Draco's current expression would not lift from his face.

Hermione knew the exact reason, but right now she was determined not to bring it up with him. Instead, she watched Airyn wriggling around in her Father's arms restlessly to find some sort of escape, then giving up for a few brief moments and resting her head on his shoulder in defeat before getting her second wind and trying again.

"Under the circumstances, I think you will find our motives behind this particular decision understandable." Dumbledore told them assertively, gracefully getting up from a wooden chair in the cosy kitchen.

Draco almost snarled at the man in front of him. "Yeah, because this is the one place my Father would not think to look."

Hermione frowned at him. "Actually, from what I've heard... this is probably the last place your Father would _want_ to look."

Draco rolled his eyes whilst fighting off his daughter's wayward arms. "That makes me feel _so_ much better."

"I can assure you that your safety was put first in all of this, Mr. Malfoy" Snape said smoothly from the other side of the room. "This is the safest place possible for you at this very moment."

"I don't feel very safe." He told them all irritably, still attempting to stop Airyn from wriggling out of his arms.

"It's nice to know that our presence has that effect on you, Draco."

Hermione glared at him for being so rude in front of their accommodators. They didn't have to do this for them; they were more than obliged to turn them away... and yet here they were, ready to take them in as a gesture of goodwill for their faith in Professor Dumbledore.

"I am sure Mr. Malfoy will learn to watch his tongue in future, Andromeda." Snape answered the dark haired woman standing by the kitchen door.

"I have handled the petulance of his Father's character before." Andromeda said sternly, looking down at Draco's bowed head. "I am fairly certain that my sister would have shown her offspring that manners cost nothing... something her Husband had sadly never been taught."

Draco fought hard to bite back a remark. He knew that his Father was the whole reason that they were hiding away, but Family honour was just that... honour. He was not going to last five minutes in this place if that blood traitor was going to continue to rub him up the wrong way.

"I don't mean to offend anyone." Hermione cut in suddenly, seeing the look of restrained anger on Draco's face. "But I thought the safest place for any student was Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore nodded with contempt. "In different circumstances we would keep you at Hogwarts under no uncertain terms... but it has come to my attention that there may be eyes and ears within our walls that might unintentionally cause damage." He saw both students looking at him curiously. "Therefore, myself and both Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape thought it be best to arrange another accommodation where you would be in safe hands and under close watch."

"Right." Draco almost snorted in disbelief. "That's what you call this place?"

"I am the only one who would take you in, Draco." Andromeda cut in, her sharp voice reminding him of his Mother's for a moment. "Everyone else heard your name within the equation and turned you away."

"Maybe you should have done the same." He almost spat at her.

"Maybe," She answered thoughtfully. "But then again, I am not inhumane...I cannot turn one of my own away, no matter how much I may dislike what they stand for."

"I am not one of yours" Draco retorted, holding his baby tighter to him as he felt the anger flare up inside of him once again. "I will never be one of yours."

Andromeda gave him a fraction of a smile. "Oh, how little you know."

"Then it is settled." Dumbledore announced, sounding oddly cheerful despite the tension. "I will send news if I hear anymore progress, and once everything seems to be settling down I will alert Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley of your new situation... I am sure a few visits will go unnoticed if we are discreet."

Hermione nodded and smiled; now not feeling as lost as she had a moment ago.

The Professors bid their students farewell before getting into the tiny grate by the fire and flooing themselves back to the school.

Hermione looked around the small kitchen, glancing over at Ted Tonks as he sat on one of the little wooden chairs around the table, absentmindedly smoking his pipe as he read the daily newspaper.

Silence consumed the room uncomfortably as Andromeda bustled about the kitchen, making herself busy in a very Mrs Weasley-like fashion. She was about to make idle conversation about Nymphadora when Draco shot up from the chair suddenly and made his way towards the wooden door, cutting off the kitchen to the rest of the house.

"Where do we sleep?" He asked bluntly, not looking at anyone in particular as he said this. Airyn was currently staring up at the picture of Tonks on the wall next to her, letting out giggling, babbling sounds as Tonks' hair changed colour and she pulled faces within the picture.

"There's the attic and the room across from mine and Ted's." Andromeda told him blankly, choosing to stab at an unpeeled potato. "Take your pick."

Hermione watched as Draco opened the door and walked through it with great strides, obviously wanting to get to his destination rather quickly. She turned back to Andromeda, feeling uncomfortable again.

"Thank you." Hermione told her simply.

The older witch turned around and gave the girl a smirk, and Hermione was reminded for the first time of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Although Andromeda's face seemed softer than her sisters, Hermione was all too aware of just how close to Draco's heritage she was at that moment.

In fact, in the right light Andromeda could actually be mistaken for Bellatrix.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

"You're welcome, Hermione"

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Draco placed Airyn onto her back on the bed with shaking hands. Taking a few necessary breaths to steady his temper, he couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face when he saw his baby rolling from side to side on the bed, attempting to roll herself over onto her front.

She resembled a tortoise stuck upside down inside its shell.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head into his hands, before letting out a deeply suppressed sigh. How the hell had his life managed to lead him here? All his life he had been told the dangers of trading on the other side...the cost of what that would mean.

Yet, here he was... living under the very roof of the one person who had disgraced his family's honour all those years ago.

_'You've lived with Muggles, Mate,'_ He thought to himself grimly. _'You might as well go the whole hog and marry a Muggle while you're at it.'_

He knew the story.

Andromeda Black; the middle child of three sisters. Disgracing the Black family name when she ran off with a Muggle born wizard and married him.

Disowned by the family and banished from the tapestry, Draco had never seen his estranged Aunt before now.

All of his life he had been brought up to regard her as he would a Mudblood... impure vermin. His cousin Nymphadora had received the same treatment, and he had only ever seen fleeting glances of her every now and again through childhood.

God he hated this.

He was about to do some serious pacing when he felt a tug on his school robes from behind him. He looked around curiously, only to find that Airyn had somehow managed to turn herself around on the bed and was now attempting to pull herself up into a sitting position using what she could of his robes as leverage.

Draco smiled at her adoringly, forgetting his worries for a moment as he picked her up into his arms before allowing her to use her own legs to stand on the bed.

Airyn looked down momentarily, not sure what to make of the texture beneath her feet. When she looked up at Draco, she beamed a brilliant smile and then began to bend her legs and bounce herself whilst holding on to Draco's fingers for dear life. She let out a few high pitched giggles as she began to find her feet more, her head bobbing up and down as she tried to find leverage.

Draco couldn't help but smile brightly at her, holding her hands tightly when she fell back onto her bottom on the bed. This did nothing to suppress her laughter. Draco let go of her hands and put one of his around her back to support her as she sat there bouncing herself up and down on the bed, clapping her hands with glee.

"She's a clever girl." He told her happily, before grabbing hold of her and throwing her into the air. This only served to bring more giggling forward, and she screeched loudly as her Daddy threw her higher.

"I've been looking for you."

Draco looked around sharply, about to shout at the intruder who had just witnessed a private moment between him and his daughter.

His accusing eyes let down their guard when they saw Hermione standing there in the doorway, her arms crossed and a smile upon her face.

"You've found us." He accused her mockingly, giving her a small smile.

Hermione made her way into the room gracefully, a look of happiness upon her face as she walked over to her makeshift family and kissed her baby on the cheek, ruffling her blonde curls in the process.

"Where's mine?" Draco almost purred into her ear whilst sneaking one arm around her waist.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll get one as soon as you apologise to your Aunt."

A cascade of freezing cold water had descended upon Draco's demeanour instantly. He stepped away from Hermione and put Airyn upon his shoulder, paying her all the attention she needed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You really are stubborn." She sighed in a bored voice.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Draco shot back in a dead pan. Hermione was one of the only other people in this house he could stand apart from Airyn... he really didn't want to argue about this now and lose all of that.

Then he really _would_ be alone in all of this.

"I know that your Aunt had selflessly put us up in her house, without caring about what had happened in the past." Hermione nudged, knowing that she was close to making him lose his temper.

"She's not my Aunt." He answered, his voice starting to crack with his anger this time. But no... He had Airyn in his arms and in his presence. He would not subject her to any more arguing. "She never was my Aunt and she never will be my Aunt."

"But it was so many years go." Hermione began stubbornly, watching his body language carefully. "Andromeda lived through it all, and yet you are the one with the prejudice and you weren't even there."

He turned sharply to look at her. "She almost tarnished the Black name." He spat out. "There is no bigger dishonour than that"

"Oh, now that's your Father talking."

His eyes lit up menacingly. "This has nothing to do with my Father. This has everything to do with family honour and dignity... something that blood traitor downstairs knows nothing about."

Hermione's face was set in stone. "Have you learned nothing this year?" She asked him in a small voice. "You spent a whole two weeks in my house with my family." She said angrily. "You sat at my table and ate food that my Mother and Father cooked for you." She looked him dead in the eye. "Are you going to try and tell me that felt you were dishonouring your Family by staying with Muggles?"

Draco looked away. He knew what she was getting at. She thought that if he could so easily think so low of someone of his own blood heritage, then he was probably lying to her about his feelings on other subjects.

"You know that I got on well with your family." Draco told her, his anger fading and being replaced by guilt. "It was a very big step for me, and it was not something I was expecting at all."

"I understand that." she told him honestly, looking down at the floor.

"But this goes deeper than that, Hermione." He admitted truthfully. "This is about my blood... this is about family dishonour."

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Can't you just forget about that whilst we're here?"

Draco was torn. Too many times she had brought him to his knees and made him forget about his morals... the ones he had been brought up to respect. Was she making him go a step too far this time? She had pushed him to breaking point so many times, and he wasn't too sure just how much more he could take.

"I can't."

"Try."

"I don't think I can."

"Then just try for me."

Draco looked over at her and instantly regretted it. Her eyes were big and round, making his resolve melt right in front of her. How did she have the power to do that to him? He would never have guessed in a million years that Hermione Granger of all people would be the one to make him come crashing down.

"What do I get if I try?" He asked her with a defeated smile.

She answered his with a coy one.  
"Me."

How the hell was he supposed to say no to that?

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sorry for the wait!

Expect the next chapter next week!!


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: Slight smut ahead...please be warned if you don't want to read it!!_

**Chapter Thirty Four**

_'God knows what is hiding, in that world of little consequence.  
Behind the tears, inside the lies  
A thousand slowly dying sunsets.  
God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts.  
I guess the loneliness came knocking  
No on needs to be alone, oh save me.'_

Draco begrudgingly made his way down the stairs, liking nothing more than to stay within the confines of his new room and not come out until it was all over and he could go back to Hogwarts.

The stairs began to creak beneath his feet, and he felt the atmosphere within the living room change as soon as he had made the last of his journey to the foot of the stairs.

The first comforting thing he could see was Hermione playing with Airyn on the small rug in the middle of the room, holding up his daughter's tiny hands as she tried to steady her feet on the floor; she stood there looking very proud of herself for standing up.

He became aware that he seemed to be the only one standing within the room, and suddenly an uncomfortable feeling overcame him, and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

'_Oh, this is stupid,'_ he berated himself mentally. _'Just say what you have to say and then it's over with.'_

Easier said than done.

"Sit down, lad." a deep and gruff sounding voice came from the armchair in front of him. "You're making the place look untidy."

Draco didn't even realise what he was doing until he felt his legs moving on their own accord, obeying the older man sitting in the chair by carefully placing himself down on to the couch opposite.

Hermione glanced up at him and smiled slightly, bringing Airyn to rest on her knee as she gently played with the small blonde curls on top of her delicate head.

The same nose.

Draco looked down at the two girl's in front of him on the floor, and for the first time he actually felt his heart want to leap out of his chest as he watched them together. Airyn had the same chin as her mother, along with the curls in her hair and her brow line. She was such a pretty little thing, especially when she opened her mouth and let out that delightful giggle when she was amused.

"Will Andromeda be back soon?" Hermione asked Ted casually, finally getting up from the floor and plopping herself down next to Draco. She looked at him pointedly for a moment.

Let off the hook, by the sounds of it.

"She's gone to see Hatty Higginbottom." Ted answered casually, keeping one eye on the television in front of him. "Should be back in a few hours... probably when you lot have disappeared to bed."

Hermione let out a sigh of disappointment.  
Draco let out a sigh of relief.

"Did you want her for anything in particular?" Ted asked absentmindedly, his eyes still not shifting from the TV.

"Oh, it can wait." Hermione told him casually with a swish of her wrist. "Draco just wanted to apolog - ouch!"

She rubbed her ankles together aggressively to stop the pain from where Draco had kicked her in the shins. He sent her a stern glare before shaking his head and looking down at the floor.

"Not necessary." Ted told them both suddenly, leaning forward to take his pipe from the small coffee table and light it with a match.

Draco frowned. No magic?

"Not necessary?" Hermione asked curiously, giving up on keeping Airyn on her knee and letting her slide into the small space between her parents, only to get stuck in-between the separating cushions.

"Andromeda and I allowed you into our home because Dumbledore informed us of the situation, and we both realised that this house was somewhere that neither Lucius nor Narcissa would ever dream of looking." The older Wizard spoke calmly, his pipe billowing smoke around the room.

"You got that right." Draco said quietly, watching his curly haired offspring as she attempted to pull herself out of her hole by pulling on his pants for leverage. She tried three times before giving up and looking up at her father with her baby blues, holding her arms in the air for him to pick her up.

"It's your own fault, kid." Draco told her in a gentle voice, smiling down at her. "If you weren't so keen to explore then you wouldn't get yourself stuck, would you?"

Airyn lost interest and looked to her mother instead.

Hermione shook her head. "Daddy's right, Airyn." She said with a laugh. "You'll just have to stay there."

"She's a sweet little thing, your girl." Ted announced thoughtfully, glancing over at the three people on the couch. "Reminds me of our Dora when she was her age... always needing to do her own thing."

"I think she's going to run circles around the both of us when she finds her feet." Hermione admitted with a smile, stroking the curls upon her babies head once more, loving the soft texture beneath her fingertips.

"You'll find that all children are like that." Ted told them both, a smile coming to his lips. "There were times when I would give up chasing Dora around the kitchen with her nappy and just let her wonder around naked until she got cold."

Draco raised an eyebrow.

Hermione giggled.

"How is Tonks?" Hermione asked the fair haired man, trying to ignore the sulking face of her small daughter as she was still stuck in-between the two cushions. Hermione saw Draco give in out of the corner of her eye and give Airyn his hand to pull herself up with.

"Doing well." Ted answered as he switched the television over. "I think old Mad-eye has her training harder than ever."

Draco gave an involuntary shudder at that particular name and chose to ignore where the conversation was going. Instead, he gave Airyn both of his hands and allowed her to grab hold and hoist herself into a standing position. She giggled and started bouncing again, exposing her gums as she did so.

Draco heard a clicking noise over by the kitchen door and looked over curiously for a moment.

He saw nothing, but could have sworn that someone had been in the kitchen not two seconds ago.

"You've never met Dora have you, Draco?" Ted asked him suddenly.

Draco's head shot up.

He had to think about that for a minute; had to get his head back into the conversation.

Had he ever really seen Nymphadora Tonks before?

Sure, he had seen her in passing every now and again, but that was few and far between.

This side of his estranged family was something that he had never taken the time to contemplate upon. Draco didn't have any siblings, and he certainly didn't have any cousins to really speak of.

To speak of being the operative words.

What a lonely childhood he must have unknowingly had. Spoilt, yes... but lonely all the same. How different things may have been if Andromeda had never ran off with Ted Tonks, the Muggleborn, and disowned by her family because she decided to live the life that she chose for herself.

It was then that Draco realised exactly how much he was ruled by the decisions he made, and exactly how much his family had the over all say in those decisions.

"No, I don't think I have." He answered finally, looking over at the rotund Wizard sitting in the chair opposite him. "I think she left Hogwarts just as I was starting."

"You two would get on like a house on fire." Ted told the young Malfoy with a small smile. Hermione turned and looked at him coyly. "She's as stubborn as a mule-"

"-And so are you." Hermione finished for the other Wizard, keeping her eyes on Draco the whole time.

Ted chuckled slightly before turning his eyes back to the television and falling silent again.

Hermione looked at him for a long moment before glancing down at his lap and smiling adoringly. Draco slowly followed her gaze to find the source of her happiness, only to find Airyn's head resting against his thigh.

Tired out and now fighting to keep her eyes open.

"I think she needs her bed." Draco said softly, reaching down to pat her curls lovingly. "She's been restless today, and I'm starting to wonder whether she's sensing things are happening."

"Kids see all sorts of things." Ted almost whispered to them, his eyes now trained on the cowboy film on the television screen. "But mostly I think you'll find that she's on the turn."

Hermione frowned. "On the turn?"

"Andromeda was supposed to let you know before, but I think it may have slipped her mind." Ted answered the witch. "Old Dumbledore asked her to let you know that the little one would be changing within the next day or two."

Hermione's eyes widened.

She had completely forgot about the transformations.

"We'll have to keep an eye on her." Draco announced, carefully picking his baby up and putting her onto his shoulder. "If she is going to be anything like last time then we need to prepare for a sleepless night."

Hermione hung her head in defeat.

Not that again.

"We'll have to take her up, I think." Draco told her, resting his chin against his baby's soft hair.

"It's okay, I'll take her up." Hermione told him, holding out her arms as they were filled with Airyn's sleeping form. "I think the sleeping arrangements for her are in my room, so I guess I'll sort her out."

Draco nodded before bending down to give Airyn a kiss on the forehead. He thought about it for a moment, before deciding to catch Hermione off guard and kiss her on the forehead too.

She smiled up at him sweetly. "We'll see you in the morning."

Draco watched her walk away up the stairs with a smile on his face. He then nodded curtly at Ted, before giving one more glance to the kitchen door and then walking to the stairs himself.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Draco needed to pee.

It wasn't a desperate need... but he could definitely feel his bladder aching at the thought of release.

He grumbled into the pillow before throwing the covers off himself and making his way towards the bathroom. How did a short walk to the lavatory feel so long when you really needed to use it?

He was currently stationed in the attic, which meant that he had to walk down one flight of stairs just to get to his destination. Walking to the small bathroom, Draco took in his surrounds for what was the first time.

Nothing like Malfoy Manor.

Obviously Andromeda Tonks did not see any need for tapestries and paintings of ancient Ancestors.

Ah, finally, the bathroom.

Draco did not bother to turn on the light as he released his bladder into the bottom, feeling better already. He glanced to the side of him briefly, only to be met by a mirror. The reflection that stared back at him had spooked him a little.

It was almost like looking at his Father.

Was that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing these days? Draco had lost count of the amount of times he had tried to get his head around the whole thing.

The scariest thing?

He could see his Father's motives. He knew exactly why he was doing it...but why bother over something as petty as a school project?

But this wasn't about a project anymore, was it? It was about a small child who had taken his heart by the reigns and was now the one in the driver's seat.

Draco shook his head.

Best not to think about that.

Going to the basin and washing his hands, he gave himself one last glance in the mirror.

"No...I look nothing like My Father at all."

Draco's reflected eyes in the mirror shone with renewed faith.

He turned and walked out of the cold bathroom, closing the door behind himself when he almost knocked the dark figure down.

"Sorry." He whispered, his hands reaching out to try and hold them up straight.

"What is there to be sorry for?"

Draco froze.

That voice that sounded like his Mother's.

"I… er… I almost knocked you off your feet." He stammered, not too sure why he was nervous. He pulled his hands away from her and fidgeted with his hair in the dark. "I didn't see you there."

"Well it's a good job I saw you then, isn't it?" Andromeda told him humorously before walking around him and turning on the bathroom light through the now open door.

"I guess." He shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He nodded at her slightly before starting to turn away, back up to the attic.

"You're right, you know." her soft voice reached his ears and he looked around at her.

He frowned.

Every time he looked at her, he saw more and more of Bellatrix in her face... but not her movements. No, her movements were graceful and elegant and... warm?

"You really are nothing like your Father." She gave him a small smile before shutting the bathroom door on him, throwing him back into darkness.

Draco allowed a smile to spread across his lips.

Maybe Andromeda Tonks wasn't too bad after all.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

Hermione could only remember the feeling of falling before she was rudely awoken from her sleep.

She knew it wasn't quite light yet because the curtains were still the dull navy colour that they were when she had first closed her eyes; the daylight not yet strong enough to illuminate them.

"Hermione?"

She opened one eyelid and tried to focus on the face hovering above her.

"It's too early in the morning to wake me up, Malfoy." She admonished irritably, before turning over in the bed and pulling the covers over her head.

Draco rolled his eyes and pulled the covers down to her feet. "I just need to speak to someone."

"And I'm that lucky person, am I?" She groaned; her eyes still closed as her hands blindly searched for the bed cover that Draco had pulled away from her.

"Depends on what you consider to be lucky." He told her cheerfully, sitting himself down at the end of her bed.

Hermione turned her head to look at him sleepily, her eyes squinting curiously to look at him. "Why are you full of the joy of spring all of a sudden?" She asked him, finally turning her body and propping herself up on her elbows to face him.

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I wasn't aware that I was full of anything." He said smoothly. "I've just been thinking, is all."

"Thought I could smell wood burning."

Draco gave her a sarcastic smile. "Hilarious. Where do you get your witty dialogue, Granger?"

"It catches, Malfoy." She answered cockily, propping her pillows up behind her head and resting back on to them.

He smiled at her momentarily before getting up from the bed and making his way around to the other side of it, where Airyn lay asleep in her travel cot. Draco frowned momentarily, not really remembering anyone bringing the cot with them on the journey.

"Andromeda transfigured the comfy chair in the corner of the room." Hermione answered his thoughts. He turned to look at her curiously.

She smiled at him. "I was wondering the same thing before when I walked in here."

But that wasn't all the seemed strange.

"Have you checked on Airyn tonight?" He asked her curiously, bending further down to examine his daughter.

Something had changed.

Draco felt Hermione's body heat behind him as she walked over to stand beside him at the crib.

"She's not cried all night." She whispered, peering down inquisitively. "I would have noticed if she would have-"

"-Her hair." Draco confirmed in a small voice, pointing into the crib. "Look."

And sure enough, sleeping in the middle of the travel cot was a small toddler with russet coloured curls and that familiar upturned nose that was the image of her Mothers.

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh no... I didn't even realise." She whispered frantically, looking up at Draco. "She changed and I didn't even notice... is that the sign of a bad mother?"

Draco allowed himself a small chuckle. "No, it's just the sign of a heavy sleeper."

She elbowed him in the ribs playfully, and then turned back to look at her Daughter. Airyn looked like a healthy two year old, fast asleep without a care in the world. Draco was almost positive that she would have the slight frame of her Mother, as she was still quite small for being two years of age.

"Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" Hermione asked him rhetorically. "Makes you think about the importance of family." She bent slowly into the crib and patted down her child's soft curls gently, causing Airyn to swat her hand away in her sleep.

Draco said nothing, but he knew she was right.

All of his life he had followed ideals, and allowed his mind to be penetrated with other people's prejudice. His Father was looking for them- solely on the purpose of wanting to end a life that had not even begun... would never really begin.

Was Airyn that much of a threat to his heritage? She was supposed to be a project that would only span one school year... but now Draco could not even contemplate the foreseeable future without her.

"Andromeda told me that I was nothing like my Father," Draco told the Witch beside him, looking over at her with a small smile upon his face. "And I'm starting to understand why that might be."

Hermione studied his face for a moment, taking in his pointed features and those grey yes. It had been so long since they had looked at her in the way that they used to... cold contempt. She had never really stopped to notice that their colour came alive whenever he was smiling or happy.

"You have always known that you were different from him." Hermione answered him with a frown, turning herself to face him. "You don't need anyone to tell you that."

Draco shook his head. "For years I wanted to be just like him. He is the one person I was brought up to respect and look up to... my Mother used to tell me that one day I would marry a woman just like her and have the life that they have lead. And I wanted it, because I wanted to make him proud."

"But I don't want that anymore." He admitted finally, looking up at the ceiling deep in thought. "I want to live my life without any rules to follow or people to please. I just want to work in a good job, and then come home afterwards and watch the telly-thing."

Hermione giggled softly. "I don't think the Wizarding world is ready for the Television quite yet." She told him with a smile. "But it's good to see that being here is actually having a good effect on you."

It had.

Andromeda probably would have been as miserable as himself if she hadn't of taken her life in her own hands and done something about it. Now she was free to do what she wanted, and he envied her for being courageous enough to do it.

He looked down at Hermione thoughtfully. "I should let you get back to sleep... I've ran out of things to rant about."

She kept her eyes on him, unwilling to move them away.

"Then make something up." She asked him quietly. "You're good at doing that."

Draco was quite taken back by her statement, wondering exactly what she wanted him to say. He watched the fire burning in her eyes curiously, thinking of reasons to keep himself there.

"I don't know what to say." He said quietly, still searching her eyes for some sort of sign of what she was planning.

Hermione on the other hand was wondering exactly what could have prompted her into making such a bold gesture.

Perhaps it was the fact that seeing him change in front of her like this had made her realise exactly how far he had come. Or maybe it was the fact that those same puppy dog eyes had reminded her of what had almost happened between them not one night ago. Images of him lying on top of her flashed into her mind.

Trust her hormones to get the better of her at a time like this. But it wasn't until just a moment ago that she had realised that she could not take this anymore. They got so far and then something got in the way... that had to stop now.

"What do you want me to talk about?" He asked her, watching her carefully through half lidded eyes. "I'm not really the sort to talk about the weather or-"

He was cut off by her mouth.

Well, that was one way to avoid the issue of conversation.

Hermione's lips were forceful, yet gentle against his own. He sighed and gave in completely, wrapping his arms around her waist to bring her closer to him as her tongue slowly slipped past his teeth to duel with his passionately. Usually he was the one in the dominant position, but found himself completely at her mercy as she pulled away momentarily before pushing him back a few paces until the back of his knees hit the bed.

He looked at her curiously, a grin on his face. "I thought you wanted me to talk?"

She stepped forwards until her chest was pressed against him, looking up at him with a matching smirk.

"I think we've done enough talking." She pushed him again, making him topple backwards to land on his back on the bed. "Let's see what else we can do."

Draco wasn't quite sure why he held his breath as he watched her crawl up his body. Her hair hung over her face to touch his cotton covered legs as she looked up at him thoughtfully.

"You sure about this?" He asked her seriously as her face finally came within inches of his. "Don't want you getting cold feet on me, now."

Her breath tickled his ear as she brought her lips to meet it. "I never got the chance to get them cold."

Draco was about to retort when he felt her lips upon his neck. He held his breath again as she kissed and sucked a tender part just below his ear. His hands came up into her hair to draw her closer, as she made her way a little further down, just above his collarbone with light feathery touches of her lips, making him wild.

They stopped momentarily for Hermione to take off his sweat shirt, discarding it on the other side of the room and allowing her hands to travel over the expanse of his chest, pausing to flick his right nipple.

Draco sat himself in an upright position on the bed, allowing her to sit in his lap and face him, both legs winding around his middle. He kissed her soundly on the lips, feeling her arms stretch out around his neck to draw him closer to her. He moved his thighs upwards momentarily to sit more comfortably, when he thrust up a little too far and unintentionally hit Hermione exactly where she needed it. She bucked forwards experimentally, feeling his erection through both of their pyjama bottoms. Urging her on, Draco grabbed her hips and guided her forwards again, both of them feeling it.

Hermione's lips dived for his once more, and this time their tongues entwined passionately as Draco brought her backside towards him, pulling her flush against him as his erection came to rest between his sweat pants and her clothed stomach. She would not stay that way for long, he decided, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head quickly, wanting to feel her mouth back on his own again. Her now naked breasts brushed against his equally naked flesh, and they both let out audible moans into each other's waiting mouths.

Draco was about to turn them around so she could lay under him when she stopped him. Instead, she pushed him back onto the bed and looked down at his sweat pants. She wanted to waste no time in taking them off, and decided to take the quick route instead. Draco's eyes bugged out of his head when he felt her hand on his erection through his pants, rubbing backwards and forwards, teasing him.

"You sure you've never done this before?" he asked her breathlessly, a coy smile erupting from his features.

She smiled shyly at him, and he couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her down to his side and kissed her lips, making his way down her neck, and then finally coming to stop at her rounded globes. Taking one nipple into his mouth and rolling it around with his tongue, he could hear her panting. It sounded delicious, and if it was possible, it turned him on even more. He slowly let go of the nipple and looked up at her; her eyes closed with her mouth open, trying to control her breathing.

She opened them again when she felt his hand creeping inside the elastic of waistband. She looked up into his eyes and smiled lazily, knowing exactly what he was about to do. She should have felt a little more embarrassed about his brazen act, but right now all she could think of was how good it had felt the first time he had touched her.

But she wasn't prepared for the stretch, as his fingers fluttered over her opening, testing for wetness. She closed her eyes waiting for it to happen, willing it to. And then it did.

Draco carefully inched his middle finger into her heat, kissing her forehead as he felt her tense slightly. He had debated as to whether she would be ready for it or not... but he knew that if he didn't do this soon then there was a possibility that this could take even longer than he wanted it to. He was a patient man... but even _he_ had his limits. He began to move his finger very slowly within her, testing for any sort of discomfort. He did not hear a word from her, but when he teasingly flicked his thumb over her clit, he felt her buck towards his finger, drawing him in further as her eyes shot open to look into his.

He did it again.

She knew it would feel strange, and at first it did feel a little uncomfortable. But as soon as he touched her at her nerve endings, she felt that pressure starting to build. She bucked into his hand, causing him to move his finger and thumb over her and inside of her at the same time, causing a delicious friction in her core. She could feel him blowing cold air over her nipples, and she was sure that she had never felt this sort of experience the first time.

Draco gently added his index finger, feeling her stretching around it as she became wetter than before.

"Oh..." She whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.

His fingers began moving again, only a little faster this time, making her pant just a little harder as she clutched at his forearm. Draco tried adding a third finger, but when Hermione's eyes suddenly went wide, he retracted it.

Two fingers maximum... it was going to kill him when he was finally able to have sex with her... make love to her. That tight, wet heat quaking around him as he rode her; He would never last.

"How does that feel?" He asked her, feeling his hard on rage enthusiastically at the image of Hermione Granger falling apart in his arms.

Hermione rolled her head backwards and exposed her beautiful neck. She let out a few groans before opening her eyes.

"If you stop, I will never forgive you"

He didn't intend on it.

Instead, he kept up the pace with his fingers and revelled in the way she silently asked for more. Her legs were now spread apart as far as they could under the restrictions of her pyjama bottoms, and her cheeks were flushed as she breathed heavily. Draco had not realised until just now that her right hand had been placed on top of the hand he had on her bottoms, keeping it there as she started to grind against him.

"I need more..." She whispered, her eyes closed as she fought off the building sensation stirring in the pit of her stomach.

Draco frowned slightly when she turned onto her side and reached downwards for something. He wasn't prepared for the loud gasp that escaped from his mouth when he felt her hand reach inside of his own bottoms and wrap itself around his hard on.

Bold.

But she needed to do this. Fingers were good... fingers were very good... but they still weren't ihim/i. She wanted to feel him inside of her.

Draco tried to concentrate, he really did. His fingers continued to pump in and out of her at a set pace, but it was getting continually harder for him when all he could think about was her soft, warm hand stroking his penis timidly.

"You need to stop-" He breathed raggedly in her ear. "-don't worry about me."

She gripped him just that little bit tighter and looked into his eyes determinedly. "Show me how."

He could have climbed on top of her that very moment and buried himself deep inside of her, but he held out instead as he clung to his resolve. Was she ready for that? The way she was gripping him was making him think that she could have been ready long before he had any idea.

Finally he nodded, before begrudgingly retracting his fingers from her core and shifting himself so that he was now propping himself up onto his elbows and Hermione was hovering over his left side with one hand still in his pants.

"You need to give yourself some space." He told her quietly, his eyes penetrating hers. "Take me out of my pants and keep your hand still."

Hermione slowly did as she was told. Her curiosity was heightened when she finally looked upon the length that she had been holding inside of his clothes. She had nothing to compare his size to, but at the moment she knew that he was at least five times thicker than his fingers.

How was that supposed to fit inside of her?

She examined the length with her hand, palming his erection from the base to the tip. She heard him draw in breath and looked down at him.

Eyes closed, a look of deep concentration on his face.

She did the same thing again, only this time when he got to the base, she wrapped her fingers around it and then brought her hand upwards towards the tip of his cock.

"That's good..." He informed her with a small moan. He wanted to open his eyes and watch her pleasure him, but he knew it would be too much for him. Instead, he tried to control his emotions as her small fist swept up and down his length again, bolder and much more confident as his small responses escaped from his lips.

Hermione slowly built up her pace, growing steadily more confident that she was doing the right thing as Draco's breathing began to quicken. She had decided that she liked the feel of his cock, and an excited shiver ran through her at the thought of having it inside of her very soon. She kept her eyes on his face as she began to pump him just that little bit harder, causing his mouth to open in a silent plea.

"God... so good..." He whispered, biting his lip enticingly as he felt her running her thumb over the tip of his penis, spreading his pre-cum around.

How did she learn to do that?

"How am I doing?" She asked him, her lips close to his ear.

He decided to hazard a glance at her.

Then he wished he hadn't.

She was looking at him; her hair wild, cheeks flushed and a hunger in her eyes that told him she really wanted to do this for him. He also noticed that she was absentmindedly rubbing her legs together; searching for friction that had been lost upon his decision to allow her to do this to him.

"You have no idea..." He panted, looking up into her eyes and locking with them. Her fingers were working faster now, and he could feel the pressure burning within his stomach. If she didn't stop then he was going to explode.

And he couldn't have that.

Ladies come first.

Deciding to take her current state into his own hands, Draco used his arms to gently push her pyjama bottoms down past her knees. Hermione took the rest of her initiative to kick them off of her feet whilst till managing to pump Draco in a continuing rhythm, driving him wild.

Once Hermione's bottoms were shed from her body, Draco gracefully hoisted her right leg over his thigh. Hermione adjusted herself to gain better access to his cock, as seemed to be preparing her for something.

"Just relax." He told her in a deep, husky voice, her hand driving him crazy. She gave him a curious look, but soon got the message when he traced the outline of her inner thigh with his fingertips, sinking two fingers into her still ready and waiting core.

"Oh..." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began pumping his cock harder than ever, making him groan with her.

By this time Draco was desperate.

Stretching his neck up a little further from the bed, he angled his lips to latch on to one of her suspended nipple and began to lick at it, causing Hermione to involuntary buck against his fingers and clench her walls.

"Keep going." Was all she asked of him as his thumb began to circle her clit. She began pumping in an upwards motion, feeling her face flush with the sensations of three pleasure points being assaulted, and she was loving every minute of it.

"Can't stop." He answered her, short of breath as he felt her riding his fingers while he continued to stroke in and out of her relentlessly.

Hermione felt herself on the tip, just as she had felt that first time, only now it was a hundred times better than she could ever have remembered. She felt that fire burning her all over, and as Draco flicked over her clit gently with his thumb once more, she felt herself falling.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God..." She panted, starting to feel her body shaking.

"Let it go..." He whispered, licking her areola and continuing his ministrations. He knew it would not be long before he was gone himself, and he could feel that familiar tightening sensation in his balls... but he didn't care, as long as Hermione went over the edge first.

Hermione looked him dead in the eyes as her world fell around her. She never broke the contact as she began to shake uncontrollably as Draco attacked her bundle of nerves one final time, sending her spiralling over the edge.

A silent scream erupted from her, causing her mouth to form an 'O' shape as she shattered in orgasm, but she could not allow her body to grow boneless and limp. She had her own job to do first.

It didn't take long.

Draco had watched her fall apart in his arms, and watching her having to control her mother of all orgasms had sent him to the brink. He felt her walls quiver and tighten around his fingers, and just the thought of how that would feel around his cock sent him spiralling over the edge.

Hermione watched him as he held her moving hand in his, and they moved them together as one. Draco had allowed her to pick up a frenzied pace, and in no time at all she could hear him muttering obscenities beneath his breath as the evidence of his arrival leaked into both of their waiting hands.

He waited for the blinding light to fade from his eyes before he opened them and looked over at her. Hermione was lying beside him on the bed, her eyes also closed and breathing deeply.

"That was..." She started, still short of breath.

"...yeah." He finished for her, a smirk playing on his face at the thought of just how good it felt to take that next step.

"I really wouldn't mind if you decided to show me how to do that again." She announced casually, opening her own eyes to look at him, pushing stay hairs away from her face.

"More where that came from, luv." Draco answered her, feeling relaxed and sedated.

Hermione looked at him seriously for a moment.

"Let's not wait too long to find out..."

Draco smiled at her knowingly.

Now she was ready.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo

"Any word?"

"Nothing as of yet."

"They can't have disappeared, they would not be able to hide for long"

Lucius kept his eyes upon the lawns of his manor, watching the light rise over the grass.  
"I will recieve word as to where they have been moved to as soon as my inside man get's information."

"Old Dumbledore would never think of something so low" Narcissa almost hissed. "What sense would he have in believing that our Son would take his side over ours?"

"The old fool has tainted his mind, it seems" Lucius answered. "Instead of coming to his senses and realising how Dumbledore has been poisoning his mind, it seems that Draco has chosen to consort with the Mudblood and her friends."

"Surely he will realise his fault's when we find him?"

"We can only hope that Dumbledore has not turned him into a Muggle-loving outcast before that" The older man replied darkly. "Either way, Draco can blame no one but himself for getting involved."

"If he'd have been partnered with a blood-worthy female from Slytherin, then it may never have come to this" Narcissa said absentmindedly, standing behind her husband and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Draco will learn who the real villains are soon enough."

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

**A/N:**

**Thankyou for all of the reviews!!**

**really appreciated!! ...seriously...you guys are the best!!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

_'photographs and brightly coloured paper,  
are your mask you wear in this caper.  
That is our life,  
we walk right into the strife and a tear from your eye brings me home._

_Won't you be the new one burn to shine?  
I'll take the blue ones every time.  
walk me down your broken line,  
all you have to do is cry.'_

Harry felt the frown marks appear upon his forehead before he realised the facial expression he was wearing.

"Visit?" He asked sceptically. "But I thought they were hiding so that no one could know where they were?"

McGonagall was losing her patience fast. "I do not think that Professor Dumbledore would see you as a threat, Mr Potter." She answered promptly. "Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy were informed that they could receive visitors once we were certain that they were in no immediate danger."

"So the threat has gone, then?" Ron piped up hopefully from next to Harry, bouncing little Joon on his knee.

"_No_." McGonagall replied pointedly. "However, almost two weeks have gone by now without anything reaching us regarding The Malfoys."

"Maybe they've realised what pillocks they've been over a silly little school project?" Ron asked cheerily, trying to keep a firm hold on his rugrat.

"So does that mean we can all visit?" Harry butted in enthusiastically. "I know Hermione will want to see Freddie and Bert-" Ron glanced down at the floor, looking uncomfortable. "-And Joon and Benny too."

The Professor studied them both for a moment.

"As long as you keep the destination of your journey to yourselves." She berated them sternly. "I will have no one spreading Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy's whereabouts around the school, is that understood?"

Both boys nodded.

oxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Two weeks.

Two whole weeks and yet he still could not believe it.

Seeing is believing, he knew that... but he still had a hard time with it all the same.

Watching his baby stand on her own two feet; looking at her with a smile when he saw her trying to climb up onto the couch, still being too small to hoist herself up.

Ted Tonks had told them that they would have their hands full, and he wasn't wrong.  
The day after Airyn had transformed, Draco and Hermione had been taken back by her development. They felt as if they had missed out on so much of her small life, yet they were there for all of it.

Airyn was an independent toddler now, waddling around the house on her own. If she wasn't having a temper tantrum for being naughty, then she was pulling on Andromeda's cat's tail and causing him to hiss at her.

Andromeda had told them that it was good to have a little one making noise around the house again, and told Hermione not to apologise when Airyn found delight in the fact that coloured crayons went well with wallpaper.

Draco was actually amazed at the older witch's patience, and once or twice caught her giving them a small smile as she watched the three of them together.

Airyn's vocabulary stretched as far as _"Hoov"_ for broomstick, and _"Nay"_ for No. Hermione had been rather concerned at one point, wondering whether Airyn would be able to learn anything more, when she discovered that just by talking to her, she pretty much picked up most words within the sentences.

Draco found this out to his own dismay when he accidentally trapped his fingers in the living room door one evening. Unfortunately, the one swear word that escaped his lips had been repeated over and over by his little girl, who thought it was hysterically funny to hold her left fingers in her right hand and run around the living room shouting _'buhgerrrr',_ causing Hermione to not speak to him for a few hours.

Hermione.

Now that was a completely different kettle of fish.

For two whole weeks they had been trying to get sometime alone to finish what they had started, but so far they had only managed a few intimate kisses before being interrupted by their landlords or by their daughter. Either way, it was clearly starting to get to them both, to the point where more than a few times Draco was sure he had spotted Hermione sitting there with a faraway appearance in her eyes, only to come back down to Earth and give him _that _look... the one that said it all.

She was ready.

She wanted him for who he was, and he wasn't about to deny her that any longer. If the other night had taught him anything, then it was that when they finally gave in, they would both know that it was the right thing to do.

Draco had known for a while, of course. It wasn't everyday that he felt those sorts of feelings for anyone, so the fact that it was Hermione Granger who made him feel that way was just the icing on the cake.

Typical, you might say.

Draco currently sat at the kitchen table, attempting to shovel the last bit of honeydew melon into Airyn's mouth. Every time the spoon got so far, she would turn her head away and pout at her Daddy before banging on the lid of the baby chair dramatically.

Determined, Draco tried again.

"Come on, Rynie." He almost pleaded with her, putting the spoon towards her mouth again. "Just one more spoonful and you can torment Jinx." He saw his babies eyes light up at that name.

Bloody cat got her attention more than he did.

Airyn screwed her pretty little face up, obviously not one for bargaining when it came to getting her own way with her Father. She had Draco wrapped around her little finger, and he knew it.

She pulled on her brown curls for a moment, grinding her new teeth together. Draco thought she looked adorable when she did this, as it reminded him of Hermione when she was deep in thought.

Draco tried once more with the melon, before deciding that Airyn would get her own way once again. He hoisted her out of the baby chair and set her down on her feet, watching her make a beeline for the open back door that lead to the garden... where Jinx was currently sat, enjoying the momentary sunshine.

Draco sat with a smile upon his face as he watched his little girl sit beside the chocolate coloured feline and pat it on its head. Dismayed at the contact, the cat hissed at her before swaggering along the small path and curling in on itself to sit beneath a small cherry tree.

Just as he was about to make a move from the kitchen and sit in the sun, he saw Hermione appear from the sidelines of the garden and swoop Airyn up into her arms. The child giggled delightfully as her mother planted butterfly kisses upon her cheek, and Draco could not help the happy smile that spread across his lips, lighting his features.

"I can't decide who Rynie looks more like." A female voice came into his ear. He looked up momentarily as Andromeda stood at the door conjoining the kitchen and the living room. "At first glance I would have to say Hermione, because of the curls," She continued, keeping her eyes on the pair outside whilst stepping into the kitchen. "But up on a second look, you can plainly see that she has your eyes and mouth."

"It's the perfect balance." Draco answered her, resting back in his wooden seat as he also watched the pair outside. "All things considered, I'd say she turned out pretty well."

"She turned out better than that, Draco." Andromeda told him, looking down at him as she stood by the kitchen worktop now. "She is the perfect experiment."

Draco didn't like that word.

Airyn may have started out as a project that he did not want to happen, but right now he could not imagine life without her. Everything about her was perfect; her nose and the way her small mouth curved when she smiled at him. Airyn had the best qualities of both of her parents, and for that he loved her even more.

"I remember watching Nymphadora play for hours when she was a child." Andromeda began again. "Everything about her was perfection, and Ted would often tell me that if he could go back and do things again, then he would never change a thing."

Draco glanced over at the dark haired witch; increasingly being reminded of his Aunt Bella, only Andromeda's face held a kindness that his Aunt lacked.

"Do you regret anything?" He asked before he could stop himself.

He hadn't meant for it to escape from his mouth.

He had no right to ask her questions, and she had no right to tell him what he probably did not want to hear.

And yet she had a small smile on her face.

"Sometimes I look back and wonder what would have been different." The older witch admitted, playing with the purple beads around her neck absentmindedly. "Wonder if I would be the same person if I'd have listened to my family and married a Pureblooded Wizard and lived the life that my parent's wanted for me."

Draco started to feel uncomfortable.

Not because of Andromeda's personal confession, but because her words were hitting close to home.

"When I met Ted we went through so much before starting a life together." Andromeda continued in a quiet voice. "Prejudice from my side of the family, and outrage from Ted's because he was due to get engaged to another witch at the time. But we didn't let that stop us because we knew we were doing the right thing." She smiled to herself once again. "We were in love, and we knew that no matter what happened, we would always have that."

Draco tried not to let the words sink into his brain, but they were forcing their way in.  
How much longer could he keep his eyes and mind closed to what was right in front of him all along?

"The last time I saw your Mother, she was walking through Knockturn Alley with a small blonde boy in a stroller." She told him.

Draco looked over at her silently. "I wondered if it would be the right thing to make my presence known and say hello to her." Her face looked dazed and far away. "I made my way through the crowd, ready to introduce my younger sister to her Niece... when I caught that look in her eyes."

Draco frowned.

"I knew up on looking at her that something was missing." Her voice seemed sad now. "Cissy hadn't seen me yet, so I knew it couldn't be me that was making her act that way, but she looked... she looked lost." Andromeda slowly made her way to the chair opposite Draco and sat down, looking at him seriously. "When your Mother finally looked at me, it was only a fleeting glance." She told him calmly. "But within those few seconds, I could see all of her inner turmoil and sadness."

"My Mother has always led a fruitful life." Draco answered her carefully. Although he should have said something more, he could not bring himself to do it. He had seen his Mother smile and laugh many times, but somehow he wondered when the last time was that he had seen the smiles reach her eyes.

"Your Mother was always the treasured one, Draco." Andromeda told him fondly. "Your Aunt Bellatrix was the rogue of the three of us, always the one to end up in trouble with Mrs Fitz and her two boys next door." Draco smirked, knowing full well that that would be the case. "I was the middle child, and therefore the quieter and better spoken one... a good head for studying and keeping myself out of mischief." She smiled at Draco as she said this, her eyes lighting up with an unrecognisable glow. "Your Mother however, was the youngest of the three of us, and the prettiest."

Draco saw that glow leave her eyes instantly.

"Narcissa Black was a very popular witch, and could have had her pick of any of the Pureblood males." Andromeda continued, clasping her hands together on the table. "But as fate would have it, our Father thought it right to pair his most treasured possession with someone who would be worthy of her."

"My Father?" He asked curiously.

He knew the answer of course, but he had never known how his parents had met or married. Such affairs had never been spoken about.

"Lucius Malfoy, son of Abraxas Malfoy. Your Father would one day own Malfoy Manor and work well within the Ministry of Magic, and my Father saw this as the perfect match for the Black heritage." Andromeda confirmed for him, sounding almost bitter.

"But my Mother and Father love each other," Draco told her in a child like voice as if to prove the witch wrong. "They always have and they probably always will." Draco was not about to listen to this woman talk about his parent's in such an off-hand way. Maybe it was because he felt she did not have the right to shoot down his family honour. Or maybe it was the fact that he did not want to think of the truth behind her words.

"Your Mother and Father are as in love as any two people within a love match can be." Andromeda agreed finally. "But how would they know if they had found true love, if they had never got the chance to choose who they fell in love with?"

Draco thought about the impact of her meaning for a moment.

Was it possible to live your life freely if you were constantly controlled by the people around you? Had his Mother perhaps envied Andromeda for being brave enough to want to live her own life with whom she chose?

More importantly, was he himself on the verge of making that decision himself?

"They really are beautiful girls." Andromeda commented, bringing Draco from his thoughts.

He looked back out into the garden, to see Hermione sitting on the grass with Airyn as they picked daisies from the ground together. Hermione had made a bracelet of daisies for her daughter, but found all of her hard work go to pot when Airyn thought it would be funny to dismantle it. "If I were you, I wouldn't want to lose either of them."

Draco kept his eyes on Hermione, her hair shining in the sun and her features lighting up with happiness as she spent time with their daughter.

"No." He answered truthfully. "I really don't."

It was at that moment that Draco finally came to terms with the one thing that had been weighing on his mind since they had returned to Hogwarts after Christmas.

He was falling love with Hermione Granger.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

He groaned inwardly when he saw the fire grate light up in a magnificent green.  
Feeling as though their private corner of the world had been invaded, Draco felt the need to excuse himself from the room. Hermione had different plans however, and passed Airyn over to him.

"'Mione!" Harry was the first to shout after shaking the soot from his casual red t-shirt. He made his way over to her and captured the witch in a bear hug as the rest of the party made their way through the fireplace.

Draco didn't quite know where to put himself, so he sat down in Ted's armchair with Airyn bobbing up and down on his knee, pretending he was a 'Horsee'.

"Alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked him with a nod of the head.

Draco nodded back hesitantly, taken back by the fact that Potter had been the one to make the acknowledgement first.

"Not bad. And yourself, Potter?"

"Run off my feet with little Freddie." The bespectacled boy admitted, holding a small boy with chocolate coloured hair and blue eyes in his arms. "Yesterday he tried jumping off the couch to see if he could fly."

Draco's face held an amused expression for a moment.

"That's better than finding him eating cat food." He looked down at Airyn pointedly, who looked up at him with a confused expression, obviously not aware that he was referring to herself.

Hermione smiled to herself upon seeing the interaction between her best friend and her-

Well... she wasn't too sure what Draco was at the moment, but she was definitely sure that whatever it was, they were more than friends.

"Hi Hermione."

She smiled as she looked over to the grate to find Neville and Ginny standing there, dusting themselves and Bert free of the soot from the fireplace. Hermione instantly noticed that Bert's hair was jet black like his Pansy's, but his nose was definitely that of Neville's.

Hermione was about to say hello back when the fireplace lit up once again. Ron stood there, brushing the soot from his hair with one hand, whilst holding one of the twins in the other.

The room went silent, and she was sure that she could feel Draco's eyes burn into her back.

Hermione held her breath when Ron finally looked up at the other people in the room.

"Blimey, that was a bit of a wild ride." He announced in a weak voice.

Benny squealed with delight and announced that he wanted to do it again.

"How have you been, 'Mione?" Ginny asked her, hugging her tight as she stepped over to the other side of the fireplace. "It's not been the same since you left."

Hermione smiled at her red haired friend warmly.

"It's been nice." She answered honestly. "Very quiet, and I've missed my classes-" Ginny raised an eyebrow at her. "-but I've enjoyed having time to concentrate on Airyn."

"Amongst other things..." Ginny whispered in her ear, and her eye line wavered in Malfoy's direction.

Hermione put her head down with a smile on her face.

Ginny took a moment to catch on, before deciding to keep the conversation for somewhere more inconspicuous later on.

"I don't think we have anymore chairs for people to sit on." Andromeda announced as she walked in from the kitchen, and both Neville and Harry took a step back at the sight of the witch.

"You-you're-" Neville stuttered, walking backwards to stand behind the couch.

"Andromeda Tonks." The older Witch introduced herself tartly, not liking the reception she had got upon entering the room.

Both boys relaxed visibly.

"For a moment there, I thought you were-" Harry began, but Hermione's pointed look stopped him from going any further.

"Bellatrix and I share the same features, but I can assure you that the similarities end there."

Draco smirked to himself.

A truer statement was never made.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

Draco had to admire Hermione for her ability to make unpleasant situations bearable.  
He knew beyond a doubt that she would fight to keep himself and Weasley separated, that much was true. But what he found even more outstanding was the fact that she somehow managed to keep everyone else happy at the same time.

Now he knew why he was never good with socialising... he had never cared about anyone else's discomfort.

At present he was situated in the kitchen, Airyn perched on his knee happily as she made a mess of herself as she ate Honeydukes chocolate, melted in a small bowl. She had smiled up at him, her face and fingers sticky and brown. Draco would have pulled a face, but she looked too adorable.

He could hear the commotion in the living room and suddenly relished the quiet of the Kitchen. He really wasn't one for crowd's these days, and was glad that he could escape from Hermione's friend's. The silence didn't last long however, as the backdoor to the kitchen suddenly flew open, and an unfamiliar face greeted him with a smile.

"Wotcher, Draco."

He frowned.

Airyn looked up at the intruder as she now splashed her hand inside the bowl, sending the melted chocolate all over the table.

"Tonks!"

Draco watched as Potter practically ran into the room and enveloped the petite woman in his arms. He studied them for a moment, thinking of the interesting connection between them. He knew she was some kind of Auror, but he never went as far to think that she would somehow be involved with Potter.

Then again, everyone was involved with him these days.

So this was his estranged cousin.

He would never have thought it; her facial expressions did not resemble the Black side of the family. The only thing that he could relate to were her pointed features, and even that was a stretch.

"How are the gremlins doing?" She asked Harry as he let her go. She sat at the kitchen table and run a hand through her short, bubblegum pink hair.

"Your Mum told you about the babies, I take it?" Harry answered.

"Everyone has heard about the Project" Tonks told him with a wave of her hand, as if it were old news. "Most people seem to think that old Dumbledore has lost the plot...but I think it's a brilliant idea" She then looked down at Airyn with a big smile on her face. "And they're adorable!"

Harry looked over at Draco momentarily, his eyes searching him for something. Then his gaze dropped to Airyn and he smiled broadly. "Is there a little girl under all of that mess?" He asked her softly, crouching down so he was head height with Airyn.

Airyn responded by reaching out to smack Harry's face playfully, giggling as she left a chocolate handprint upon his face.

Draco tried to suppress his laugh, but he couldn't help the snort that erupted from him when he saw the surprised look on Potter's face.

"Rynie, say sorry to Harry." Draco tried to say seriously, but was having problems keeping a straight face. Airyn giggled instead and shook her head, before turning herself around to get up onto her knees and hug Draco around the neck, her sticky mouth and fingers effectively ruining his white t-shirt.

"It's alright, Freddie's done worse." Harry announced with a smile on his face, his eyes still studying both father and daughter. "So far I think I've tried to get almost all the colours of the rainbow out of my whites."

Draco looked down at the boy and nodded in agreement.

Civil should have been Potter's middle name... he seemed to be trying hard to be on neutral ground. Maybe it was because of Hermione. He wasn't sure, but Draco oddly appreciated it all the same.

"I think I'm going to go and find Freddie." Harry announced, getting up from his crouched position to stand and walk towards the kitchen door. "He has an obsession with plant pots at the minute... I'm afraid to think of what he would do if he found the potted lily in the hallway."

Tonks smiled fondly at him as he exited the kitchen.

Her eyes wondered over to him a moment later, and he noticed that she was openly observing him.

"I thought you would look more like your Father, but I stand corrected," She told him matter of fact-ly as she took an orange from the fruit bowl and tossed it into the air. "You have his eyes, but the rest of you is Narcissa."

"You've seen my Mother?" He asked her curiously.

Airyn was currently mesmerized by the orange that Nymphadora was tossing into the air.

"In pictures." She answered, looking down at Airyn and moving the orange from side to side, laughing when she saw the child's eyes following it avidly. "I'm fairly certain that I've passed her in Diagon Alley once or twice, but I never thought I would get the warm reception I had hoped for if I had stopped to say hello."

Draco half resented her for that.

Yes, his family did not speak to the Tonks', but that did not give the girl the right to look down upon his family like she had.

He was about to open his mouth to relay his thoughts on the subject when the girl changed it.

"Can I hold her?" She asked, her arms opening up as she made funny faces at Airyn.  
His Daughter held up her arms to the stranger, giggling when Tonks would pull a face funnier than the last. Draco held Airyn up, for his jaw to drop when he passed her over.

Metamorphagus?

"Does it run in the family?" He asked her, too curious to keep it to himself.

"Nah." She answered, holding Airyn up in front of her as she changed her nose to that of a pig, and her hair colour to bright orange. "I just developed it from an early age...I wouldn't worry about this one getting it, though-" Airyn reached out to touch the nose, when Tonks snorted at her, causing the baby to shriek with laughter. "-She's her mother through and through."

Draco smiled.

Airyn's curly brown head turned to look down at him. She smiled widely, some of her baby teeth still missing. Draco watched as Nymphadora placed the child on the floor, and shook his head with a sigh when he saw her immediately dart through the open kitchen door, leaving a chocolate handprint upon the white wood as she made her exit.

"Hermione is a nice girl." Tonks told him in a quiet voice, reminding him of her Mother. "She deserves the best."

Draco was about to ask her exactly what she had meant, when the door to the kitchen opened again and Ted walked through. Draco did not notice the scene of welcome between Father and Daughter that played out in front of him, as he was too busy watching Hermione on the other side of the door.

She was hugging Ron Weasley.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Draco had been in the Kitchen for a while.

Hermione had worried a little when she saw Harry enter the kitchen, wanting to go in there and make sure that World War Three had not erupted. But instead she stayed where she was, knowing that Draco would not like to be too crowded.

She had visibly relaxed when she saw Harry walk out of the kitchen, a content smile on his face. He had passed her on the couch and used that smile when he looked at her, his eyes almost trying to tell her something.

Well, at least Draco hadn't tried to rip him apart.

But then... when was the last time that Draco and Harry had said a bad word to each other?

_'When you had that confrontation with Ron...'_

Damnit... every other thought she was having right now was coming back to Ron.  
She could feel him standing behind her, talking with Neville about some Herbology project that Professor Sprout had given them.

Hermione got up from the couch and went over to the kitchen doors, deciding that if Draco were alone in there with Airyn then he might like her company for a while. It was funny how things changed... once upon a time she would not even contemplate gracing Draco Malfoy with her presence... now she rather enjoyed it.

Yes.

The world had definitely turned itself on its head.

Hermione pushed the door open slightly, when she heard voices from the inside.

**_"I just developed it from an early age... I wouldn't worry about this one getting it, though... She's her mother through and through."_**

She smiled.

The recognisable voices on the other side of the door made her smile broaden even further when her mind realised that Draco was actually talking to Tonks.

Was it possible that Draco was coming to terms with the fact that the things he was brought up to believe were not necessarily the right ones? Hermione certainly hoped so. He had done so much growing up, and she only hoped that he could enhance on that by coming into his own and realising that he could make his own decisions about his perception of other people.

"'Mione?"

She froze at the doorway, not quite sure what to do. She waited a few moments before biting the bullet and turning around to face her fear.

"Ron." She said quietly, not quite able to look at him.

He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not quite sure what to do with his hands or his eyes. He finally let go of the breath she knew he was holding and got on with it.

"How've you been?" He asked her meekly, realising how stupid it sounded as soon as it left his mouth. "I mean-" He stopped, shutting his eyes tight with embarrassment, a pink tinge resting upon his cheeks. "I'm no good at this." He sighed in defeat and put his hands in his pocket.

"Forget it," Hermione told him, her voice quiet. "You already said you were sorry, lets just leave it at that."

He looked up at her.

"You have no idea how really sorry I am, 'Mione," He admitted, his voice almost pleading with her to believe him. "I was drunk - I know that's no excuse, and I've kicked my own arse ever since that night for being such a stupid prat but-"

"You're forgiven." She told him honestly.

She wasn't sure if she could ever do it.

Many times she wondered if she could ever look at him the same way again. But at this moment in time, everything in her life was going too well... if she kept pushing Ron away then one day she was sure to regret losing a good friend.

He smiled at her for the first time in along time.

"You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that." He told her.

Hermione nodded, giving him a small smile back.

"It feels good to say it... a weight off my shoulders."

"I'll take anything I can get," He told her honestly, shaking his head. "Parvati is driving me round the bloody bend... I just want my mates back... get back to the way things were before this Project ever started."

Hermione knew that there as no chance of that. Not now, not after everything that had happened within the last few months... especially with her and Draco.

"I'm here if you need me." She told him, that smile remaining on her face. It just felt good to be able to talk to him without feeling uncomfortable.

Ron suddenly held out his arms innocently.

She hesitated before realising that the hug was offered as one of friendship, and then closed the gap between them to hug her red haired friend around his waist, her cheek resting again his chest as he squeezed her tight.

She didn't notice a pair of confused grey eyes watching her.


	36. author's note

Just a little author's note:

Thought it was about time i got myself back on here ... been a while and more than a lot has happened since i last updated.

I'm writing this for the sole purpose of asking some kind experienced soul to be my brand spanking new beta reader?

This would include reading over ALL of the last chapters, tweaking them and basically making them look more professional. (Of course you will get all of the credit because let's face it, it's a hard job and my spelling, grammar, punctuation etc are REALLY not the best!).

Ideally id like someone who has done this before and knows what they are doing. I've not got a lot of time to do this myself since having my little boy and working etc so the easier it is for me the better (i feel like I'm asking too much here... hmmm...)

Anyway,

It's been waaaaaay too long since i last updated, to the point where even i have to read over what I've written because it's a fuzzy haze

As soon as I've done that I'll be back on the keyboard and dusting off the cobwebs that have resided in my braid for the last few years!

To all of you that have continued to read this story and been patiently waiting : I LOVE YOU!

To those of you that have reviewed or sent private messages: I LOVE YOU!

You have a lot more patience than me hehe.

Watch this space folks ...  
(and PM me if you think you can take on the mighty task of dealing with this fic and turning it into something half decent!) xxx


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